Towards Map Based Cloning of C Locus in Hexaploid Wheat

C locus is an important gene mapped on chromosome 2D of wheat, responsible for compact spike and reduced plant height in hexaploid wheat. The C locus is also known as compactum locus and it has a pleiotropic effect on many traits as it affects spike morphology, grain size, shape, number, and perhaps other aspects of plant development and directly or indirectly affects the agronomic performance of wheat. Genetic analysis and molecular characterization of C locus is needed to understand the mechanism underlying this trait. There are a limited number of mapping studies conducted on this trait, and the exact chromosomal location was ambiguous. Using Radiation Hybrid (RH) and genetic mapping we placed C locus in the centromeric part of wheat chromosome 2DS. High-resolution RH and genetic mapping further fine mapped the C locus to a 230 Kb region, whose annotation indicated seven putative candidate genes. We performed RNAseq of control and Compactum line at three different stages of spike development and based on differential gene expression data we retained four genes for further studies. These four genes are being tested for candidacy of C locus and results of the study will be presented