Polymorphism in ribosomal DNA repeat units of 12 Hordeum species

Total genomic DNA was isolated from leaves of individual accessions of 12 Hordeum species. SacI, HindIII, and BamHI restriction fragments hybridizing to the wheat rDNA probe pTA71 were compared. Thirteen rDNA repeat unit length variants were recovered, which combined to produce 11 distinct phenotypes. All rDNA repeat units had two SacI sites and no HindIII sites. The rDNA repeat units of H. secalinum, H. hrasdanicum, and H. distichum all had 3 BamHI sites, but in different configurations. The rDNA repeat units of the other species had at least 4 BamHI sites. Ladders of small hybridizing fragments in 8 of 9 of the latter accessions indicated the presence of occasional BamHI sites in some subrepeats within the intergenic spacer regions of the rDNA repeat units. Different distributions of BamHI restriction site maps within the Hordeum sections strengthen the concept of using variation in rDNA restriction sites as a taxonomic character.Key words: Hordeum, ribosomal DNA, polymorphism.