THE 2 GENES HOMOLOGOUS TO ARABIDOPSIS FAE1 CO-SEGREGATE WITH THE 2 LOCI GOVERNING ERUCIC-ACID CONTENT IN BRASSICA-NAPUS

KCS (beta-keto-acyl-CoA synthase) has been proposed as a candidate gen e for explaining the erucic acid level in rapeseed. Degenerate PCR pri mers corresponding to the FAE1 gene have been designed. Two B. napus g enes BN-FAE1.1 and BN-FAE1.2, corresponding to the parental species B. I apa and B. oleracea FAE1 genes, were amplified. Polymorphism was re vealed for these two genes by acrylamide electrophoresis of the amplif ication products. These two genes could then be mapped and a co-segreg ation of these genes with the El and E2 loci controlling erucic acid c ontent was found. Furthermore, mutations observed for one of these gen es could explain part of the low erucic trait of the three LEAR types used in this study.