Genomic architecture of phenotypic plasticity of complex traits in tetraploid wheat in response to water stress

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrii Fatiukha ◽  
Mathieu Deblieck ◽  
Valentina Klymiuk ◽  
Lianne Merchuk-Ovnat ◽  
Zvi Peleg ◽  
...  

AbstractPhenotypic plasticity is one of the main mechanisms of adaptation to abiotic stresses via changes in critical developmental stages. Altering flowering phenology is a key evolutionary strategy of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses in order to achieve maximum possible reproduction. The current study is the first to apply the linear regression residuals as a drought plasticity scores, while taking into account the differences in flowering phenology and trait variation under non-stress conditions. We characterized the genomic architecture of 17 complex traits and their drought plasticity using a mapping population derived from a cross between durum wheat (Triticum durum) and wild emmer wheat (T. dicoccoides). We identified 79 QTLs, of which 33 were plastic in response to water stress and exhibited epistatic interactions and/or pleiotropy between the initial and plasticity traits. Vrn-B3 (TaTF1) residing within an interval of a major drought-escape QTL was proposed as a candidate gene. The favorable alleles for most of the plasticity QTLs were contributed by wild emmer, demonstrating the high potential of wild relatives for wheat improvement. Our study presents a new approach for quantification of plant adaptation to various stresses and provides new insights into the genetic basis of wheat complex traits under water-deficit stress.HighlightThe study presents a new approach for quantification of plant adaptation to various stresses and provides new insights into the genetic basis of wheat complex traits under water-deficit stress.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1723
Author(s):  
Andrii Fatiukha ◽  
Mathieu Deblieck ◽  
Valentyna Klymiuk ◽  
Lianne Merchuk-Ovnat ◽  
Zvi Peleg ◽  
...  

Phenotypic plasticity is one of the main mechanisms of adaptation to abiotic stresses via changes in critical developmental stages. Altering flowering phenology is a key evolutionary strategy of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, to achieve the maximum possible reproduction. The current study is the first to apply the linear regression residuals as drought plasticity scores while considering the variation in flowering phenology and traits under non-stress conditions. We characterized the genomic architecture of 17 complex traits and their drought plasticity scores for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, using a mapping population derived from a cross between durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) and wild emmer wheat (T. turgidum ssp. dicoccoides). We identified 79 QTLs affected observed traits and their plasticity scores, of which 33 reflected plasticity in response to water stress and exhibited epistatic interactions and/or pleiotropy between the observed and plasticity traits. Vrn-B3 (TaTF1) residing within an interval of a major drought-escape QTL was proposed as a candidate gene. The favorable alleles for most of the plasticity QTLs were contributed by wild emmer wheat, demonstrating its high potential for wheat improvement. Our study presents a new approach for the quantification of plant adaptation to various stresses and provides new insights into the genetic basis of wheat complex traits under water-deficit stress.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guidong Yue ◽  
Yunlong Zhuang ◽  
Zhaoxia Li ◽  
Li Sun ◽  
Juren Zhang

The whole-genomic gene-expression changes of maize (Zea mays L.) plants in response to water-deficit stress at the heading stage have not been previously studied. The present work utilized a maize oligonucleotide array (‘57K’, ~57000 sequences; http://www.maizearray.org/) representing more than 30000 unique genes, to profile transcriptome changes in maize leaves subjected to 1d (day) and 7d water-deficit stress. After 1d and 7d water-stress treatment, 195 and 1008 differential genes were identified respectively. One-third of 1d-water-stress-induced genes had known or putative functions in various cellular signalling pathways, indicating that signal-transduction-related genes play important roles in the early responses of maize leaves to water stress. The 7d-stress-regulated genes were involved in a broad range of cellular and biochemical activities. The most notable genes may function in compatible osmolyte metabolism, particularly in proline, sucrose, trehalose and raffinose metabolism in the leaves. The present study provided a valuable starting point for further elucidation of molecular mechanisms in the drought tolerance of maize plants.


Crop Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen A. Leach ◽  
Lindsey G. Hejlek ◽  
Leonard B. Hearne ◽  
Henry T. Nguyen ◽  
Robert E. Sharp ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Zhou ◽  
Dongmei Yu ◽  
Jeremiah M. Scharf ◽  
Carol A. Mathews ◽  
Lauren McGrath ◽  
...  

AbstractStudies of the genetic basis of complex traits have demonstrated a substantial role for common, small-effect variant polygenic burden (PB) as well as large-effect variants (LEV, primarily rare). We identify sufficient conditions in which GWAS-derived PB may be used for well-powered rare pathogenic variant discovery or as a sample prioritization tool for whole-genome or exome sequencing. Through extensive simulations of genetic architectures and generative models of disease liability with parameters informed by empirical data, we quantify the power to detect, among cases, a lower PB in LEV carriers than in non-carriers. Furthermore, we uncover clinically useful conditions wherein the risk derived from the PB is comparable to the LEV-derived risk. The resulting summary-statistics-based methodology (with publicly available software, PB-LEV-SCAN) makes predictions on PB-based LEV screening for 36 complex traits, which we confirm in several disease datasets with available LEV information in the UK Biobank, with important implications on clinical decision-making.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Miguel Soriano ◽  
Pasqualina Colasuonno ◽  
Ilaria Marcotuli ◽  
Agata Gadaleta

AbstractThe genetic improvement of durum wheat and enhancement of plant performance often depend on the identification of stable quantitative trait loci (QTL) and closely linked molecular markers. This is essential for better understanding the genetic basis of important agronomic traits and identifying an effective method for improving selection efficiency in breeding programmes. Meta-QTL analysis is a useful approach for dissecting the genetic basis of complex traits, providing broader allelic coverage and higher mapping resolution for the identification of putative molecular markers to be used in marker-assisted selection. In the present study, extensive QTL meta-analysis was conducted on 45 traits of durum wheat, including quality and biotic and abiotic stress-related traits. A total of 368 QTL distributed on all 14 chromosomes of genomes A and B were projected: 171 corresponded to quality-related traits, 127 to abiotic stress and 71 to biotic stress, of which 318 were grouped in 85 meta-QTL (MQTL), 24 remained as single QTL and 26 were not assigned to any MQTL. The number of MQTL per chromosome ranged from 4 in chromosomes 1A and 6A to 9 in chromosome 7B; chromosomes 3A and 7A showed the highest number of individual QTL (4), and chromosome 7B the highest number of undefined QTL (4). The recently published genome sequence of durum wheat was used to search for candidate genes within the MQTL peaks. This work will facilitate cloning and pyramiding of QTL to develop new cultivars with specific quantitative traits and speed up breeding programs.


Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 145 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhikang Li ◽  
Shannon R M Pinson ◽  
William D Park ◽  
Andrew H Paterson ◽  
James W Stansel

The genetic basis for three grain yield components of rice, 1000 kernel weight (KW), grain number per panicle (GN), and grain weight per panicle (GWP), was investigated using restriction fragment length polymorphism markers and F4 progeny testing from a cross between rice subspecies japonica (cultivar Lemont from USA) and indica (cv. Teqing from China). Following identification of 19 QTL affecting these traits, we investigated the role of epistasis in genetic control of these phenotypes. Among 63 markers distributed throughout the genome that appeared to be involved in 79 highly significant (P < 0.001) interactions, most (46 or 73%) did not appear to have “main” effects on the relevant traits, but influenced the trait(s) predominantly through interactions. These results indicate that epistasis is an important genetic basis for complex traits such as yield components, especially traits of low heritability such as GN and GWP. The identification of epistatic loci is an important step toward resolution of discrepancies between quantitative trait loci mapping and classical genetic dogma, contributes to better understanding of the persistence of quantitative genetic variation in populations, and impels reconsideration of optimal mapping methodology and marker-assisted breeding strategies for improvement of complex traits.


Planta ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 254 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen B. Mesgaran ◽  
Maor Matzrafi ◽  
Sara Ohadi

Abstract Main conclusion Phenological isolation can potentially reduce seed output and may be exploited as a novel tool for ecological management of dioecious weeds. Abstract Dioecious plants may benefit from a maximized outcrossing and optimal sex-specific resource allocation; however, this breeding system may also be exploited for weed management. Seed production in dioecious species is contingent upon the co-occurrence and co-flowering of the two genders and can be further disturbed by flowering asynchrony. We explored dimorphism in secondary sex characters in Amaranthus palmeri, and tested if reproductive synchrony can be affected by water stress. We have used seeds of A. palmeri from California, Kansas and Texas, and studied secondary sex characters under natural conditions and in response to water stress. Seeds of A. palmeri from California (CA) and Kansas (KS) were cordially provided by Dr. Anil Shrestha (California State University, Fresno, California) and Dr. Dallas E. Peterson (Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas), respectively. Seeds of a third population were collected from mature plants (about 30 plants) from a set-aside field in College Station, Texas. A. palmeri showed no sexual dimorphism with regard to the timing of emergence, plant height, and relative growth rate. While the initiation of flowering occurred earlier in males than females, females preceded males in timing of anthesis. Water stress delayed anthesis in males to a greater extent than females increasing the anthesis mismatch between the two sexes by seven days. Our data provide the first evidence of environment-controlled flowering asynchrony in A. palmeri. From a practical point of view, phenological isolation can potentially reduce seed output and may be exploited as a novel tool for ecological management of dioecious weeds.


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