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Characterization and fine mapping of qkc7.03: a major locus for kernel cracking in maize

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Abstract

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A major locus conferring kernel cracking in maize was characterized and fine mapped to an interval of 416.27 kb. Meanwhile, combining the results of transcriptomic analysis, the candidate gene was inferred.

Abstract

Seed development requires a proper structural and physiological balance between the maternal tissues and the internal structures of the seeds. In maize, kernel cracking is a disorder in this balance that seriously limits quality and yield and is characterized by a cracked pericarp at the kernel top and endosperm everting. This study elucidated the genetic basis and characterization of kernel cracking. Primarily, a near isogenic line (NIL) with a B73 background exhibited steady kernel cracking across environments. Therefore, deprived mapping populations were developed from this NIL and its recurrent parent B73. A major locus on chromosome 7, qkc7.03, was identified to be associated with the cracking performance. According to a progeny test of recombination events, qkc7.03 was fine mapped to a physical interval of 416.27 kb. In addition, obvious differences were observed in embryo development and starch granule arrangement within the endosperm between the NIL and its recurrent parent upon the occurrence of kernel cracking. Moreover, compared to its recurrent parent, the transcriptome of the NIL showed a significantly down-regulated expression of genes related to zeins, carbohydrate synthesis and MADS-domain transcription factors. The transcriptomic analysis revealed ten annotated genes within the target region of qkc7.03, and only GRMZM5G899476 was differently expressed between the NIL and its recurrent parent, indicating that this gene might be a candidate gene for kernel cracking. The results of this study facilitate the understanding of the potential mechanism underlying kernel cracking in maize.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partly supported by grants provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31671705, 31401395), the Programs of MOST and MOA of China (2016YFD0100103, 2016YFD0100303, 2014CB138200, 2014BAD01B02, and 2014DFG31860), and CAAS (Innovation Program). We are grateful to CIMMYT for providing seeds of the NILs used in the study.

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  1. Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Beijing, 100081, China

    Mingtao Yang, Lin Chen, Xun Wu, Xing Gao, Chunhui Li, Yanchun Song, Dengfeng Zhang, Yunsu Shi, Yu Li, Yong-xiang Li & Tianyu Wang

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  1. Mingtao Yang
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The experiments comply with the ethical standards in the country in which they were performed.

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Communicated by Thomas Lubberstedt.

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122_2017_3012_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplementary material 1 Supplementary Fig. 1 Validation of gene expression patterns between quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and RNA-sequencing. qRT-PCR of three genes (i.e., GRMZM2G338928, GRMZM2G143718, and GRMZM2G048131) located within the interval of qkc7.03 and detected in the expression profiles of the sampled kernels were performed for all sampling points of B73 and 1192A. Pearson correlation coefficients between FPKM values and relative expression levels across all the sampling points for each gene were calculated and are listed in the brackets. NS indicates non-significant (TIFF 295 kb)

122_2017_3012_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Supplementary material 2 Supplementary Fig. 2 Kernel cracking performance in-susceptible materials in a diverse panel of 723 inbred lines across two locations in Xinxiang in Henan Province and Shunyi in Beijing (TIFF 2860 kb)

Supplementary material 3 (DOCX 51 kb)

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Yang, M., Chen, L., Wu, X. et al. Characterization and fine mapping of qkc7.03: a major locus for kernel cracking in maize. Theor Appl Genet 131, 437–448 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-017-3012-3

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