The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), an important insect pest
of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., has a gene-for-gene relationship with
wheat: single genes in the insect condition avirulence to specific res
istance genes in wheat. We report the discovery of the first molecular
genetic marker that is tightly linked to a Hessian fly avirulence gen
e. This dominant DNA polymorphism (OPG15-1) was identified using bulke
d segregant analysis and arbitrary primers in polymerase chain reactio
ns. Bulked segregant analysis was modified to accommodate the anomalou
s chromosome cycle of the Hessian fly. It was used to identify DNA pol
ymorphisms linked to the gene (vH6) that confers avirulence to the res
istance gene H6 in wheat. OPG15-1 was cloned and sequenced, and a pair
of site-specific primers were designed that converted it into a codom
inant single-stranded conformational polymorphism. Both OPG15-1 and vH
6 were shown to be X-linked, and the genetic distance between the two
loci was 2.5 +/- 2.5 cM. In situ hybridization to polytene chromosomes
of larval salivary glands indicated that OPG15-1 resides near the cen
tromere of Hessian fly chromosome X1.