Molecular markers for defense response genes in sorghum

Vita.Oligonucleotide primers made complementary to conserved sequences in phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), chitinase (CHT), glucanase (GLU), cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase dehydrogenase (CAD), 0-methytransferase (OMT), 3-hydroxy-3methylglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGR), glutamine synthetase (GS) and dihydrofolate reductase (DFR) genes previously cloned from other species were used to amplify segments of the equivalent genes from sorghum. From amplified fragments inserted into pUC18 in E coli, three putative CHS fragments, two CHTS, three GSs, one HMGR, one CAD, two OMTs and four PALs were obtained. Greater than 70% base sequence identity with homologous genes confirmed (PALI-1) and a genes confirmed that a 412bp clone (CAD13), a 535bp clone (PALI-1) and a 620bp clone (CHS2G) were derived from the coding regions of CAD, PAL and CHS, respectively. The other clones show