Putative MADS-Box Retropseudogenes in Rye (Secale L.)

The fragments of MADS-box genes belonging to the agamous and agamous-like structural classes were isolated by direct amplification of genomic DNA from annual rye (Secale cereale L.) and perennial rye (Secale montanum Guss.). The characterized fragments (deposited in the Genbank as the accession nos. AF332885–AF332887 and AF346894) comprise the complete sequences of exons 1 to 5 and lack corresponding introns. Their nearest homologs are the maize genes zag1 and zag5 (the Genbank accession nos. L18924 and L46398). One more agamous-like fragment isolated from annual rye (AF362364) is similar to theTaMADS12 wheat gene (AB007505). The fragment comprises exons 3–5 and contains a 105-bp insert between the exons 3 and 4; this insert does not resemble any MADS-box introns presently known. We assume that all these fragments of MADS-box genes are retropseudogenes.