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Genetic architecture underpinning yield component traits in wheat

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Abstract

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Genetic atlas, reliable QTL and candidate genes of yield component traits in wheat were figured out, laying concrete foundations for map-based gene cloning and dissection of regulatory mechanisms underlying yield.

Abstract

Mining genetic loci for yield is challenging due to the polygenic nature, large influence of environment and complex relationship among yield component traits (YCT). Many genetic loci related to wheat yield have been identified, but its genetic architecture and key genetic loci for selection are largely unknown. Wheat yield potential can be determined by three YCT, thousand kernel weight, kernel number per spike and spike number. Here, we summarized the genetic loci underpinning YCT from QTL mapping, association analysis and homology-based gene cloning. The major loci determining yield-associated agronomic traits, such as flowering time and plant height, were also included in comparative analyses with those for YCT. We integrated yield-related genetic loci onto chromosomes based on their physical locations. To identify the major stable loci for YCT, 58 QTL-rich clusters (QRC) were defined based on their distribution on chromosomes. Candidate genes in each QRC were predicted according to gene annotation of the wheat reference genome and previous information on validation of those genes in other species. Finally, a technological route was proposed to take full advantage of the resultant resources for gene cloning, molecular marker-assisted breeding and dissection of molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying wheat yield.

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Abbreviations

ChIP:

Chromatin immunoprecipitation

FT:

Flowering time

KNS:

Kernel number per spike

LD:

Linkage disequilibrium

PH:

Plant height

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

QRC:

QTL-rich cluster

SN:

Spike number per square meter

SNP:

Single-nucleotide polymorphism

SSR:

Simple sequence repeat

TKW:

Thousand kernel weight

YCT:

Yield component trait

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Prof. R. A. McIntosh, Plant Breeding Institute, University of Sydney, for review of this manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91935304, 3151663, 31461143021) and CAAS Science and Technology Innovation Program.

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Author notes

  1. Shuanghe Cao and Dengan Xu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crop Sciences, National Wheat Improvement Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China

    Shuanghe Cao, Dengan Xu, Mamoona Hanif, Xianchun Xia & Zhonghu He

  2. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), c/o CAAS, 12 Zhongguancun South Street, Beijing, 100081, China

    Zhonghu He

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  1. Shuanghe Cao
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  2. Dengan Xu
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  3. Mamoona Hanif
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  4. Xianchun Xia
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  5. Zhonghu He
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Contributions

SHC and MH wrote the draft; SHC and DAX collected and analyzed the data; XCX and ZHH assisted in writing the paper. All authors read the final version of the manuscript and approved it for publication.

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Correspondence to Shuanghe Cao or Zhonghu He.

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Communicated by Albrecht E. Melchinger.

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Fig. S1

A proposed procedure for map-based cloning, marker-assisted selection for high-yield breeding and dissection of regulatory mechanism underlying yield (DOCX 90 kb)

Data S1

Quantitative trait loci for yield component traits (XLSX 39 kb)

Data S2

Associated loci for yield component traits (XLSX 24 kb)

Data S3

Homology-based cloning genes for yield component traits (XLSX 17 kb)

Data S4

Putative yield-related genes controlling other traits (XLSX 16 kb)

Data S5

Candidate genes for QTL-rich clusters of yield component traits (XLSX 70 kb)

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Cao, S., Xu, D., Hanif, M. et al. Genetic architecture underpinning yield component traits in wheat. Theor Appl Genet 133, 1811–1823 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03562-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-020-03562-8