Identification of Transposon Insertion Sites in Maize Mu-Tagged Mutants Using Mu-Seq

Abstract

Mutator (Mu) transposons facilitate untargeted insertional mutagenesis in maize by moving within the genome and disrupting genes. Such an approach has been used to generate collections such as the BonnMu resource, a Mu-tagged maize population for functional genomics studies. Mutant-Seq (Mu-Seq) is a sequencing-based method for the high-throughput identification and mapping of Mu insertion sites. The approach involves the construction of multiplexed sequencing libraries (known as Mu-Seq libraries) from Mu-tagged populations, followed by high-throughput sequencing and data processing using the Mu-Seq Workflow Utility (MuWU) tool, to determine the location of Mu insertions. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for Mu-Seq, from the generation of the maize Mu-tagged mutant population to data analysis. Researchers can use this approach to develop mutant collections customized to specific genetic backgrounds of interest, which can aid in characterizing genotype-specific mutations and identifying candidate genes linked to visible mutant phenotypes.