A high-throughput system for genome-wide measurement of genetic recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana based on transgenic markers.
A high-throughput system for the measurement of recombination frequencies in the genetic model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is described. It is based on 21 mono-transgenic isogenic lines harboring antibiotic resistance genes on all five chromosomes. Recombination between pairs of gene insertions in repulsion phase that confer resistance against kanamycin (kan) and hygromycin (hyg) is determined by a phenotypic assay of progeny (DART: Double Antibiotic Resistance Technique). DART allows testing for the influence of numerous environmental and genetic factors, including candidate genes, on recombination frequencies in specific genomic regions as well as the entire genome. Its usefulness is demonstrated by investigating the effects of UV treatment, different temperature and phosphorus supply regimes, and sex on recombination frequencies for all five chromosomes of A. thaliana.