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Genetic analysis of the interaction between G and R loci involved in the determination of bulb colors in onion (Allium cepa L.)

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Abstract

Five major loci (I, C, G, R, and L) are known to control the inheritance of bulb colors in onion (Allium cepa L.). Among them, the G and R loci are involved in the determination of chartreuse, yellow, and red bulb colors. To analyze the interaction between G and R loci, two F2 populations originating from the cross between chartreuse and red parental lines were generated. Red, yellow, and chartreuse bulb colors were segregated in the F2 populations but segregation ratios did not fit into independent inheritance models. Two high-resolution melting (HRM) markers were developed to genotype the DFR-A and AcLAC12A genes responsible for R and G loci, respectively. In contrast to a previous hypothesis, genotypic analysis of F2 populations demonstrated that chartreuse bulb colors appeared only when the R locus was homozygous recessive, whereas red bulb colors appeared regardless of G genotypes. These results indicate that the chartreuse bulb color can appear when a branched pathway producing anthocyanin is blocked by the inactivation of DFR-A. If anthocyanin synthesis is not blocked, yellow and chartreuse colors cannot appear despite the production of yellow or chartreuse pigments. Here, a linkage map covering both G and R loci was constructed. The G and R loci were linked with a 19.5 cM distance on chromosome 7. In addition to AcLAC12A, seven additional laccase-coding genes were identified from a transcriptome produced from onion bulbs. Analysis of the transcription levels of these genes indicated that only AcLAC12A was predominantly expressed in onion bulbs, demonstrating that AcLAC12A was a major laccase in onion bulbs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Cooperative Research Program for Agriculture Science and Technology Development (Project No. PJ0161682021) funded by the Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea, and the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (No. 322067-03-1-HD020). The authors thank Ji-hwa Heo, Jeong-An Yoo, and Su-jeong Kim for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, RDA, Muan, 58545, Republic of Korea

    JiWon Han & Cheol-Woo Kim

  2. Department of Horticulture, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    JiWon Han & Sunggil Kim

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  1. JiWon Han
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  2. Cheol-Woo Kim
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  3. Sunggil Kim
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JH performed experiments and drafted the manuscript. CK produced F2 populations. SK organized and coordinated this research project and edited the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sunggil Kim.

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All experiments were performed in compliance with the current laws of the Republic of Korea.

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Communicated by Seon-In Yeom.

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Han, J., Kim, CW. & Kim, S. Genetic analysis of the interaction between G and R loci involved in the determination of bulb colors in onion (Allium cepa L.). Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 64, 801–810 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-023-00519-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-023-00519-w

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