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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (7): 2714-2722    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.11.030
Crop Science Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Genetic dissection and validation of a stable QTL for grain roundness on chromosome 5A in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Jiajie He1, 2, Zhibin Xu1, Bo Feng1, Qiang Zhou1, Xiaofeng Liu3, Guangsi Ji4, Shaodan Guo1, Xiaoli Fan1, Tao Wang1#

1 Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China

2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China

3 Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu 610066, China

4 School of Life Science and Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467044, China

 Highlights 
A stable QTL for grain roundness, QGr.cib-5A, was consistently detected across all environments.
The effect of QGr.cib-5A on grain roundness was stable in various genetic backgrounds.
Rounder grain shape has been relatively widely selected during wheat breeding.
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摘要  

小麦籽粒形态是影响产量和加工品质的一个重要育种目标。然而,籽粒圆度作为籽粒形态的主要决定因子,其遗传基础尚未得到充分研究。本研究利用以中科麦138ZKM138)与中国春(CS)构建的F2群体和重组自交系(RIL)群体,分析了籽粒形状变异的遗传基础。根据F2群体的外显子捕获测序(BSE-Seq)和小麦55K SNP芯片数据获得的单核苷酸多态性(SNP),开发了竞争性等位基因特异性PCRKASP)标记,并利用这些标记构建了F2RIL群体的遗传图谱,分别覆盖了148.89 cM30KASP标记)和129.82 cM25KASP标记)。基于以上遗传图谱,进行了QTL定位。其中,两个定位群体均稳定鉴定到同一个控制籽粒圆度的数量性状位点(QTL),QGr.cib-5A,其位于染色体5A444.8-455.5 Mb区间内。进一步的条件QTL分析显示,粒宽是圆度的主要贡献因素。此外,利用两个紧密连锁的KASP标记5A4-1555k-31检测 134ZKM138衍生群体,结果显示ZKM138衍生等位基因的传递率为96.27%GR增加了7.38%,并且该等位基因在全球小麦品种中分布达65.19%。最后,候选基因分析表明TraesCS5A02G236400为潜在候选基因,该基因编码一种羟脯氨酸富集的糖蛋白。总体而言,这些结果为促进小麦籽粒形状改良和提高小麦市场价值提供了一定的理论支撑。



Abstract  

Wheat grain morphology is an important breeding target considering its impact on yield and end-use properties.  However, the genetic basis of grain roundness, a major determinant of grain morphology, remains largely unexplored.  In this study, an F2 and a recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations from Zhongkemai 138 (ZKM138)×Chinese Spring (CS) cross were employed to analyze the genetic basis of grain shape variation.  Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) markers were developed according to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) from bulked segregant exome sequencing (BSE-Seq) of F2 and Wheat 55K SNP array data online, and then were used to construct two genetic maps of F2 and RIL populations, spanning 148.89 cM (30 KASP markers) and 129.82 cM (25 KASP markers), respectively.  By the traditional QTL mapping method based on these two maps, a stable quantitative trait locus (QTL) for grain roundness (GR), QGr.cib-5A, could be repeatedly highlighted in the interval of 444.8-455.5 Mb on chromosome 5A.  Further conditional QTL mapping analysis revealed that grain width was the major contributor to GR at this locus.  Besides, the utilization of two tightly linked markers 5A4-15 and 55k-31 showed a 96.27% transmissibility of ZKM138-derived alleles in 134 ZKM138 derivatives alongside a 7.38% increase in GR, and a 65.19% distribution of worldwide varieties.  Finally, TraesCS5A02G236400, possibly encoding a hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein family protein, was deduced to be the candidate gene.  Collectively, these results provided the possibility of facilitating wheat grain shape improvement and enhancing wheat market value.

Keywords:  wheat       grain roundness        QTL mapping        candidate gene  
Received: 08 July 2024   Accepted: 24 September 2024 Online: 14 November 2024  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFD1200400), the Key Project of Wheat Breeding in Sichuan Province, China (2021YFYZ0002) and the Science and Technology Co-operation Programme of Chengdu-Chinese Academy of Sciences.  

About author:  Jiajie He, E-mail: hejj@cib.ac.cn; #Correspondence Tao Wang, Tel: +86-28-82890308, E-mail: wangtao@cib.ac.cn

Cite this article: 

Jiajie He, Zhibin Xu, Bo Feng, Qiang Zhou, Xiaofeng Liu, Guangsi Ji, Shaodan Guo, Xiaoli Fan, Tao Wang. 2026. Genetic dissection and validation of a stable QTL for grain roundness on chromosome 5A in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(7): 2714-2722.

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