Inheritance and linkage of acid phosphatase locus Acp4 in maize

Abstract

Segregating F₂ progeny arrays of five self-fertilized single-cross F₁ hybrids (WF9 ×Pa405, B37 × B70, B73 × N7A, 0h545 × A659, and A632 × SD_p312) were assayed eloctrophoretically to verify the inheritance and linkage relationships among 11 enzyme loci of maize (Zea mays L.). Progeny tests with acid phosphatase isozymes verified, for the first time, the inheritance of locus acid phosphatase 4 (Acp4). The assays showed that Acp4 is a monomeric enzyme locus with at least six codominant allozymes. Segregation data for the 10 other loci—alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Adh 1), isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (ldh2), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase 1 (Got 1), malate dehydrogenase 2 (Mdh2), acid phosphatase 1 (Acp 1), peroxidase 1 (Prx 1), esterase 1 (Est 1), esterase 4 (Est4), βglucosidase 1 (Glu 1), and phosphogluconate dehydrogenase 1 (Pgd 1)—provides further evidence of inheritance. Linkage tests showed that Acp4 is inherited independently of the other loci studied (Adh 1 was not included in the linkage analysis with Acp4). Linkage relationships for 40 of 45 possible enzyme locus pairs among the 10 enzyme loci also are presented. It is concluded that all 11 enzyme loci are useful for further studies of the effect of artificial or natural selection on allozyme frequencies, on frequencies of single-locus and multilocus genotypes, for determining associations and linkage relationships among genes marked by isozynies and genes controlling quantitative characters, and for studies of the mating system in populations of maize.