DNA-FINGERPRINTING OF CULTIVATED RICE WITH RICE RETROTRANSPOSON PROBES

Cloned sequences of three retrotransposons of rice, Tos1-1, Tos2-1 and Tos3-1, were used as molecular genetic markers to distinguish the cul tivars of Asian and African rice, Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima. D NAs of six cultivars each of Indica and Japonica types of O. sativa we re analyzed after digestion with four different restriction enzymes. I ndica cultivars could be distinguished from each other by any of three types of one probe-one restriction enzyme combination. Although the h ybridization patterns were similar among Japonica cultivars, these cul tivars could be distinguished from each other by one type of one probe -one enzyme combination. Five cultivars of O. glaberrima examined were also distinguished from each other by using one probe-one enzyme comb ination. The results shown here indicate that retrotransposon-mediated fingerprinting is an efficient method to distinguish or identify the cultivars of rice. Retrotransposon-mediated fingerprinting should beco me a general method, because retrotransposons are ubiquitous in plant species and retrotransposon probes can easily be obtained from any pla nt species.