Stowaway/matrix attachment regions (S/MARS) are sequences of DNA that anchor chromatin to the nuclear matrix, function in gene expression, chromatin organization, and conformation. Current identification tools in Eukaryotes rely on a small population of known S/MARs for search criterion. This study presents bioinformatics prediction of S/MARs across various genomes using the program Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), providing an opportunity to identify putative S/MARs for further characterization and a novel application of BLAST for S/MAR identification. Two wheat S/MARs were used to identify homologous sequences, within the true grasses, or Gramineae. The evidence suggests that S/MARs are prolific in Gramineae species, specifically in the related subspecies Triticeae. In addition, stowaway-like sequences associated with predicted S/MARs within Gramineae species are present, found to be in association with predicted S/MARs in Gramineae, and proposed to be the product of an unknown duplication mechanism and bear no significant association with S/MARs. / Department of Biology