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. 1998 Feb 15;26(4):1056–1062. doi: 10.1093/nar/26.4.1056

A contiguous 60 kb genomic stretch from barley reveals molecular evidence for gene islands in a monocot genome.

R Panstruga 1, R Büschges 1, P Piffanelli 1, P Schulze-Lefert 1
PMCID: PMC147355  PMID: 9461468

Abstract

The contiguous DNA sequence of a 60 kb genomic interval of barley chromosome 4HL has been assembled. The region harbours a single and novel gypsy -like retrotransposon, designated BAGY-1. Only three genes appear to reside in the genomic stretch. One predicts a plant homologue of ribophorin I, a subunit of the oligosaccharyltransferase-protein complex located in the rough endoplasmatic reticulum. The second is similar to the Drosophila g1 gene encoding a ring finger protein involved in developmental processes. The observed gene density is approximately 5-fold lower than in the best characterized dicot genome of Arabidopsis but 6- to 10-fold higher than expected from an equidistant gene distribution in the complex barley genome. Our data suggest that the 60 kb genomic interval represents part of a gene island, a seemingly distinctive feature of grass genomes.

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Selected References

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