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Genetic analysis of glucosinolate variability in broccoli florets using genome-anchored single nucleotide polymorphisms

Theoretical and Applied Genetics volume 128, pages 1431–1447 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Key message

The identification of genetic factors influencing the accumulation of individual glucosinolates in broccoli florets provides novel insight into the regulation of glucosinolate levels in Brassica vegetables and will accelerate the development of vegetables with glucosinolate profiles tailored to promote human health.

Abstract

Quantitative trait loci analysis of glucosinolate (GSL) variability was conducted with a B. oleracea (broccoli) mapping population, saturated with single nucleotide polymorphism markers from a high-density array designed for rapeseed (Brassica napus). In 4 years of analysis, 14 QTLs were associated with the accumulation of aliphatic, indolic, or aromatic GSLs in floret tissue. The accumulation of 3-carbon aliphatic GSLs (2-propenyl and 3-methylsulfinylpropyl) was primarily associated with a single QTL on C05, but common regulation of 4-carbon aliphatic GSLs was not observed. A single locus on C09, associated with up to 40 % of the phenotypic variability of 2-hydroxy-3-butenyl GSL over multiple years, was not associated with the variability of precursor compounds. Similarly, QTLs on C02, C04, and C09 were associated with 4-methylsulfinylbutyl GSL concentration over multiple years but were not significantly associated with downstream compounds. Genome-specific SNP markers were used to identify candidate genes that co-localized to marker intervals and previously sequenced Brassica oleracea BAC clones containing known GSL genes (GSL-ALK, GSL-PRO, and GSL-ELONG) were aligned to the genomic sequence, providing support that at least three of our 14 QTLs likely correspond to previously identified GSL loci. The results demonstrate that previously identified loci do not fully explain GSL variation in broccoli. The identification of additional genetic factors influencing the accumulation of GSL in broccoli florets provides novel insight into the regulation of GSL levels in Brassicaceae and will accelerate development of vegetables with modified or enhanced GSL profiles.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Standards

The experiment conducted complies with the laws of the United States.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Horticultural Science, Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, 28081, USA

    Allan F. Brown, Gad G. Yousef, Kranthi K. Chebrolu, Aswathy Thomas & Christopher Krueger

  2. Bioinformatics Services Division, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Kannapolis, NC, 28081, USA

    Robert W. Reid

  3. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Elizabeth Jeffery

  4. Wheat Innovation Center, General Mills Crop Biosciences, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA

    Eric Jackson

  5. Department of Crop Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    John A. Juvik

Authors
  1. Allan F. Brown
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  2. Gad G. Yousef
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  3. Robert W. Reid
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  4. Kranthi K. Chebrolu
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  5. Aswathy Thomas
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  6. Christopher Krueger
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  7. Elizabeth Jeffery
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  8. Eric Jackson
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  9. John A. Juvik
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allan F. Brown.

Additional information

Communicated by R. G. F. Visser.

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Brown, A.F., Yousef, G.G., Reid, R.W. et al. Genetic analysis of glucosinolate variability in broccoli florets using genome-anchored single nucleotide polymorphisms. Theor Appl Genet 128, 1431–1447 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-015-2517-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-015-2517-x

Keywords

  • Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Marker
  • Sinigrin
  • Brassica Vegetable
  • Broccoli Floret
  • Glucoiberin