Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Precise mapping of a locus affecting grain protein content in durum wheat

  • Published:
Theoretical and Applied Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Grain protein content (GPC) is an important factor in pasta and breadmaking quality, and in human nutrition. It is also an important trait for wheat growers because premium prices are frequently paid for wheat with high GPC. A promising source for alleles to increase GPC was detected on chromosome 6B of Triticum turgidum var. dicoccoides accession FA-15-3 (DIC). Two previous quantitative trait locus (QTL) studies found that the positive effect of DIC-6B was associated to a single locus located between the centromere and the Nor-B2 locus on the short arm of chromosome 6B. Microsatellite markers Xgwm508 and Xgwm193 flanking the QTL region were used in this study to develop 20 new homozygous recombinant substitution lines (RSLs) with crossovers between these markers. These 20 RSLs, plus nine RSLs developed in previous studies were characterized with four new RFLP markers located within this chromosome segment. Grain protein content was determined in three field experiments organized as randomized complete block designs with ten replications each. The QTL peaks for protein content were located in the central region of a 2.7-cM interval between RFLP markers Xcdo365 and Xucw67 in the three experiments. Statistical analyses showed that almost all lines could be classified unequivocally within low- and high- protein groups, facilitating the mapping of this trait as a single Mendelian locus designated Gpc-6B1. The Gpc-6B1 locus was mapped 1.5-cM proximal to Xcdo365 and 1.2-cM distal to Xucw67. These new markers can be used to reduce the size of the DIC chromosome segment selected in marker-assisted selection programs. Markers Nor-B2 and Xucw66 flanking the previous two markers can be used to select against the DIC segment and reduce the linkage drag during the transfer of Gpc-6B1 into commercial bread and pasta wheat varieties. The precise mapping of the high GPC gene, the high frequency of recombinants recovered in the targeted region, and the recent development of a tetraploid BAC library including the Gpc-6B1 DIC allele are the first steps towards the map-based cloning of this gene.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Appels R, Dvorak J (1982) The wheat ribosomal DNA spacer: its structure and variation in populations and among species. Theor Appl Genet 63:337–348

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco A, Pasqualone A, Troccoli A, Di Fonzo N, Simeone R (2002) Detection of grain protein content QTLs across environments in tetraploid wheats. Plant Mol Biol 48:615–623

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arumuganathan K, Earle ED (1991) Nuclear DNA content of some important plant species. Plant Mol Biol Rep 9:208–218

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Avivi L (1978) High protein content in wild tetraploid Triticum dicoccoides Korn. In: Ramanujam S (ed) 5th Int Wheat Genet Symp, Indian Soc Genet, Plant Breed, New Delhi, pp 372–380

  • Cantrell RG, Joppa LR (1991) Genetic analysis of quantitative traits in wild emmer (Triticum turgidum L. var dicoccoides). Crop Sci 31:645–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Cenci A, Chantret N, Kong X, Gu Y, Anderson OD, Fahima T, Distelfeld A, Dubcovsky J (2003) Construction and characterization of a half-million clones BAC library of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum). Theor Appl Genet (in press)

  • Chee PW, Elias SF, Kianinan SF, Anderson JA (1998) Introgression of a high protein gene from LDN(DIC-6B) substitution line. In: Slinkard A (ed) 9th Int Wheat Genetics Symposium, Vol. 2. University Extension Press, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, pp 179–181

  • Chee PW, Elias EM, Anderson JA, Kianian SF (2001) Evaluation of a high grain protein QTL from Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides in an adapted durum wheat background. Crop Sci 41:295–301

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cox MC, Qualset CO, Rains DW (1985) Genetic variation for nitrogen assimilation and translocation in wheat III. Nitrogen translocation in relation to grain yield and protein. Crop Sci 26:737–740

    Google Scholar 

  • Dohlman E, Hoffman L (2000) The new agricultural trade negotiations: background and issues for the U.S. wheat sector. Wheat yearbook. Economic research service, USDA

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubcovsky J, Galvez AF, Dvorak J (1994) Comparison of the genetic organization of the early salt-stress response gene system in salt-tolerant Lophopyrum elongatum and salt-sensitive wheat. Theor Appl Genet 87:957–964

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dvorak J, McGuire PE, Cassidy B (1988) Apparent sources of the A genomes of wheats inferred from the polymorphism in abundance and restriction fragment length of repeated nucleotide sequences. Genome 30:680–689

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Endo TR, Gill BS (1996) The deletion stocks of common wheat. J Hered 87:295–307

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joppa LR, Hareland GA, Cantrell RG (1991) Quality characteristics of the Langdon Durum-Dicoccoides chromosome substitution lines. Crop Sci 31:1513–1517

    Google Scholar 

  • Joppa LR, Du C, Hart GE, Hareland GA (1997) Mapping a QTL for grain protein in tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) using a population of recombinant inbred chromosome lines. Crop Sci 37:1586–1589

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khan IA, Procunier JD, Humphreys DG, Tranquilli G, Schlatter AR, Marcucci-Poltri S, Frohberg R, Dubcovsky J (2000) Development of PCR based markers for a high grain protein content gene from Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides transferred to bread wheat. Crop Sci 40:518–524

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs MIP, Howes NK, Clarke JM, Leisle D (1998) Quality characteristics of durum wheat lines deriving high protein from Triticum dicoccoides (6b) substitution. J Cereal Sci 27:47–51

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lander ES, Green P, Abrahamson J, Barlow A, Daly M, Lincoln SE, Newburg L (1987) MAPMAKER: an integrated computer package for construction of primary linkage maps of experimental and natural populations. Genomics 1:174–181

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luo MC, Yang ZL, Dvorak J (1998) Position effects of ribosomal RNA multigene loci on meiotic recombination in wheat. Genetics 149:1105–1113

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marino CL, Nelson JC, Lu YH, Sorrells ME, Leroy P, Lopes CR, Hart GE (1996) RFLP-based linkage maps of the homoeologous group-6 chromosomes of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell). Genome 39:359–366

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mesfin A, Frohberg RC, Anderson JA (1999) RFLP markers associated with high grain protein from Trititcum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides introgressed into hard red Spring Wheat. Crop Sci 39:508–513

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mickelson S, See D, Meyer FD, Garner JP, Foster CR, Blake TK, Fischer AM (2003) Mapping of QTL associated with nitrogen storage and re-mobilization in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) leaves. J Exp Bot 54:801–812

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mingeot D, Jacquemin JM (1999) Mapping of RFLP probes characterized for their polymorphism on wheat. Theor Appl Genet 98:1132–1137

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Röder MS, Korzun V, Wendehake K, Plaschke J, Tixier M, Leroy P, Ganal MW (1998) A microsatellites map of wheat. Genetics 149:2007–2023

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute Inc. (2003) SAS user's guide, version 8. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, New York

  • See D, Kanazin V, Kephart K, Blake T (2002) Mapping genes controlling variation in barley grain protein concentration. Crop Sci 42:680–685

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simmonds NW (1995) The relation between yield and protein in cereal grain. J Sci Food Agric 67:309–315

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sourdille P, Cadalen T, Guyomarc'h H, Snape JW, Perretant MR, Charmet G, Boeuf C, Bernard S, Bernard M (2003) An update of the Courtot × Chinese Spring intervarietal molecular marker linkage map for QTL detection of agronomic traits in wheat. Theor Appl Genet 106:530–538

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stoddart FL, Marshall DR (1990) Variability in grain protein in Australian hexaploid wheats. Aust J Agric Res 41:277:88

    Google Scholar 

  • Weng Y, Tuleen NA, Hart GE (2000) Extended physical maps and a consensus physical map of the homoeologous group-6 chromosomes of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.em. Thell.). Theor Appl Genet 100:519–527

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan L, Loukoianov A, Tranquilli G, Helguera M, Fahima T, Dubcovsky J (2003) Positional cloning of wheat vernalization gene Vrn1. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:6263–6268

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Young ND, Tanksley SD (1989) Restriction fragment length polymorphism maps and the concept of graphical genotypes. Theor Appl Genet 77:95–101

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Research Grant US-3224-0IR from BARD (The United States -Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund) and USDA-IFAFS competitive grant 2001-04462. We thank Dr. O. Anderson, P. Leroy and J.M. Jacquemin for providing the probes used in this study, and to Dr. S. Huang and the California Wheat Commission for their help with the protein-content determinations.

Author information

Author notes

  1. S. Olmos & V. Echenique

    Present address: CONICET and Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Andrés 800, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy and Range Science, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8515, USA

    S. Olmos, A. Distelfeld, O. Chicaiza, V. Echenique & J. Dubcovsky

  2. Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    A. Distelfeld & T. Fahima

  3. INTA Pregamino, Argentina

    A. R. Schlatter

Authors
  1. S. Olmos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Distelfeld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. O. Chicaiza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. R. Schlatter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. T. Fahima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. V. Echenique
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. J. Dubcovsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Dubcovsky.

Additional information

Communicated by J. Dvorak

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Olmos, S., Distelfeld, A., Chicaiza, O. et al. Precise mapping of a locus affecting grain protein content in durum wheat. Theor Appl Genet 107, 1243–1251 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-003-1377-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-003-1377-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation