Plant Communications (May 2024)
Dissecting the molecular basis of spike traits by integrating gene regulatory networks and genetic variation in wheat
- Guo Ai,
- Chao He,
- Siteng Bi,
- Ziru Zhou,
- Ankui Liu,
- Xin Hu,
- Yanyan Liu,
- Liujie Jin,
- JiaCheng Zhou,
- Heping Zhang,
- Dengxiang Du,
- Hao Chen,
- Xin Gong,
- Sulaiman Saeed,
- Handong Su,
- Caixia Lan,
- Wei Chen,
- Qiang Li,
- Hailiang Mao,
- Lin Li,
- Hao Liu,
- Dijun Chen,
- Kerstin Kaufmann,
- Khaled F. Alazab,
- Wenhao Yan
Affiliations
- Guo Ai
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Chao He
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Siteng Bi
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Ziru Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Ankui Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Xin Hu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Yanyan Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Liujie Jin
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- JiaCheng Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Heping Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Dengxiang Du
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hao Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Xin Gong
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Sulaiman Saeed
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Handong Su
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Caixia Lan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Wei Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Qiang Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hailiang Mao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Lin Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Shenzhen Institute of Nutrition and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome, Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
- Hao Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Dijun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Kerstin Kaufmann
- Department for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
- Khaled F. Alazab
- Plant Research Department, Nuclear Research Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo 13759, Egypt
- Wenhao Yan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; Corresponding author
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 5,
no. 5
p. 100879
Abstract
Spike architecture influences both grain weight and grain number per spike, which are the two major components of grain yield in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). However, the complex wheat genome and the influence of various environmental factors pose challenges in mapping the causal genes that affect spike traits. Here, we systematically identified genes involved in spike trait formation by integrating information on genomic variation and gene regulatory networks controlling young spike development in wheat. We identified 170 loci that are responsible for variations in spike length, spikelet number per spike, and grain number per spike through genome-wide association study and meta-QTL analyses. We constructed gene regulatory networks for young inflorescences at the double ridge stage and the floret primordium stage, in which the spikelet meristem and the floret meristem are predominant, respectively, by integrating transcriptome, histone modification, chromatin accessibility, eQTL, and protein–protein interactome data. From these networks, we identified 169 hub genes located in 76 of the 170 QTL regions whose polymorphisms are significantly associated with variation in spike traits. The functions of TaZF-B1, VRT-B2, and TaSPL15-A/D in establishment of wheat spike architecture were verified. This study provides valuable molecular resources for understanding spike traits and demonstrates that combining genetic analysis and developmental regulatory networks is a robust approach for dissection of complex traits.
