Analysis of nucleotide sequences of the <i>GT47</i> glycosyltransferase gene in rye cultivars differing in the content of water-soluble pentosans in grain

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is the most important crop in Russia, its grain quality depends on the content of water-soluble pentosans. The grain of rye cultivars with high content of water-soluble pentosans has good baking properties, but low fodder qualities. Methods of marker-assisted selection for this trait in rye remain undeveloped. For Triticeae, the content of pentosans in grain may be associated with the GT47 glycosyltransferase genes, but the genes of this family have not been identified in rye.  The aim of this study was amplification, sequencing, and search for single nucleotide substitutions or other mutations in the GT47 gene in various rye cultivars differing in the content of water-soluble pentosans in their grain and the viscosity of their aqueous extract. DNA from rye leaves was isolated by the standard CTAB method. Based on the nucleotide sequences of the bread wheat and barley GT47 genes, universal primers were selected, then a fragment of the open reading frames of the studied gene was amplified, and the nucleotide sequences were determined by automatic capillary sequencing.The population cultivars of rye, ‘Chulpan 7’ and ‘Podarok’, and F1 hybrids ‘KVS Aviator’, ‘KVS Magnifico’ and ‘KVS Eterno’ were analyzed. The highest content of pentosans and the highest kinematic viscosity of the aqueous extract were found in cv. ‘Chulpan 7’. The lowest values of these indicators were shown by the hybrid cv. ‘KVS Aviator’. The analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the GT47 gene revealed the presence of single-nucleotide substitutions in seven loci, in which the studied rye cultivars differed. Of these, the high-pentosan cv. ‘Chulpan 7’ and the low-pentosan cv, ‘KVS Aviator’ differed in three nucleotide substitutions: 159 (G/A), 204 (C/T), and 327 (G/A). It is suggested that these SNPs can be used for genotyping rye cultivars for the content of water-soluble pentosans in grain.