Abstract: CaM and Ca2 + -ATPase genes are important components of signal transduction chains which affect the regulation of' gene expression and development in plants. These two genes are tunctionally closely related. The rice ( Oryza sativa L. )cDNA probes C419 and SSU304 for these two genes, which are small single-copy ones and 0.8 and 0.3 kb in size respectively, were first physically mapped on rice chromosomes by biotin-labeled in situ hybridization. Both probes were detected on chromosome 5. The detection rate was 6.18 %, and the average chromosome ann ratios and standard deviations of detected chromosomes for probes C419 and SSU304 were 1.79 ± 0.06 and 1.91 ± 0.08 respectively. Probe C419 for CaM gene was located at the end of the long ann, and probe SSU304 for Ca2 + -ATPase gene -- on the short arm near the centromere. As it was reported before, they were closely linked in the high density genetic map. This demonstrated that there was a large discrepancy between the results of genetic and physical mapping of genes, and it indicated that the region between the functionally related genes could be the cold spot. What relationship there is between the region and gene expression is to be shudied further. The nonradioactive in situ hybridization technique about the physical mapping of low/single copy, short DNA fragments is also discussed.

Key words: Rice, CaM, Ca2+-ATPase, In situ hybridization, Physical map