Gao, J.; Li, J.; Zhang, J.; Sun, Y.; Ju, X.; Li, W.; Duan, H.; Xue, Z.; Sun, L.; Hussain Sahito, J.; Fu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Tang, J. Identification of Novel QTL for Mercury Accumulation in Maize Using an Enlarged SNP Panel. Genes2024, 15, 257.
Gao, J.; Li, J.; Zhang, J.; Sun, Y.; Ju, X.; Li, W.; Duan, H.; Xue, Z.; Sun, L.; Hussain Sahito, J.; Fu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Tang, J. Identification of Novel QTL for Mercury Accumulation in Maize Using an Enlarged SNP Panel. Genes 2024, 15, 257.
Gao, J.; Li, J.; Zhang, J.; Sun, Y.; Ju, X.; Li, W.; Duan, H.; Xue, Z.; Sun, L.; Hussain Sahito, J.; Fu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Tang, J. Identification of Novel QTL for Mercury Accumulation in Maize Using an Enlarged SNP Panel. Genes2024, 15, 257.
Gao, J.; Li, J.; Zhang, J.; Sun, Y.; Ju, X.; Li, W.; Duan, H.; Xue, Z.; Sun, L.; Hussain Sahito, J.; Fu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Tang, J. Identification of Novel QTL for Mercury Accumulation in Maize Using an Enlarged SNP Panel. Genes 2024, 15, 257.
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) pollution not only poses a threat to the environment but also adversely affects the growth and development of plants, with potential repercussions for animals and humans through bioaccumulation in the food chain. Maize, a crucial source of food, industrial materials, and livestock feed, requires special attention in understanding the genetic factors influencing mercury accumulation. Developing maize varieties with low mercury accumulation is vital for both maize production and human health. In this study, a comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using an enlarged SNP panel comprising 1.25 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 230 maize inbred lines across three environments. The analysis identified 111 significant SNPs within 78 quantitative trait loci (QTL), involving 169 candidate genes under the Q model. Compared to the previous study, the increased marker density and optimized statistical model led to the discovery of 74 additional QTL, demonstrating improved statistical power. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that most genes participate in arsenate reduction and stress responses. Notably, GRMZM2G440968, associated with the significant SNP chr6.S_155668107 of axis tissue, encodes a cysteine proteinase inhibitor, suggesting its potential role in alleviating Hg toxicity by inhibiting cysteine. Haplotype analyses provided further insights, indicating that lines carrying hap3 exhibited the lowest mercury content compared to other haplotypes. In summary, our study significantly enhances the statistical power of GWAS, identifying additional genes related to mercury accumulation and metabolism. These findings offer valuable insights into unraveling the genetic basis of mercury content in maize and contribute to the development of maize varieties with low mercury accumulation.
Keywords
mercury accumulation; maize tissue; genetic loci; genome-wide association analysis
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Plant Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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