{"id":445,"date":"2026-08-26T16:52:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/?post_type=research&#038;p=445"},"modified":"2026-08-26T16:52:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:52:35","slug":"transgene-introgression-wheat-jointed-goatgrass","status":"publish","type":"research","link":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/research\/transgene-introgression-wheat-jointed-goatgrass\/","title":{"rendered":"Estimating the Frequency and Impact of Transgene Introgression from Wheat to Jointed\u00a0Goatgrass\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<!-- block -->\n<div class=\"custom-block-wrappper text-block stylized lite top-spacing-default bottom-spacing-default\">\n\n    <p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Principal Investigators:\u00a0 John McKay (Evolutionary\u00a0Genetics)\u00a0 Patrick\u00a0Byrne(Molecular-Quantitative\u00a0Genetics)\u00a0 Phillip\u00a0Westra (Weed Control Systems and Herbicide\u00a0Metabolisms)\u00a0 Nora\u00a0Lapitan (Plant Molecular Genetics and\u00a0Cytogenetics)\u00a0 Aegilops\u00a0cylindrica (jointed\u00a0goatgrass) competes directly with wheat production, decreasing yields and profitability to wheat farmers in the U.S. An increased interest in developing more effective weed control has resulted. Currently, an effective strategy is using an herbicide resistant transgenic variety of\u00a0wheat, and\u00a0controlling the jointed\u00a0goatgrass\u00a0with herbicide. The concern of this project is in the development of transgenic wheat and the movement of transgenes from wheat to Ae. cylindrica. Ae. cylindrica and wheat share a common ancestor, Ae.\u00a0tauschii, and therefore both\u00a0contain\u00a0a common D genome. Hybridization between Triticum aestivum L (hard red winter wheat) and Ae. cylindrica has been documented and in Eastern Colorado a mean hybridization rate of 0.1% and a maximum hybridization rate of 1.6% has been\u00a0determined\u00a0(Gaines et al. 2008).\u00a0Subsequent\u00a0backcrosses of the F1 hybrid to Ae. cylindrica would\u00a0provide\u00a0a mechanism of gene introgression from wheat to Ae. cylindrica. Development of transgenic wheat, including herbicide resistance and drought tolerance, could transfer the\u00a0advantageous\u00a0transgenes into Ae. cylindrica making the weed more competitive and more difficult to manage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Objectives:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1- a) Estimate the rate of backcross between F1 hybrids (Triticum aestivum x Aegilops cylindrica) with Ae. cylindrica as the pollen donor.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">b) Determine the fertility and chromosome composition of the BC1 and further backcross generations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2-\u00a0Determine\u00a0sequences specific to each Aegilops diploid genome to use to track the transfer of wheat DNA to the Ae. cylindrica genome.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">3- Use 30 Western U.S. populations to compare phenotypic traits in Ae. cylindrica, especially drought tolerance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">4- a) Sample the genetic diversity of\u00a0jointed\u00a0Ae. cylindrica in U.S. and Eurasian populations to study the introduction history and lineage of Ae. cylindrica.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">b) Compare determined phenotypic diversity to genetic diversity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Funded by USDA grant 2007-33120-16481<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<!-- END block -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"class_list":["post-445","research","type-research","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research\/445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/labs.agsci.colostate.edu\/mckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}