Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation of Oryza sativa and its wild relatives: severe bottleneck during domestication of rice

Varying degrees of reduction of genetic diversity in crops relative to their wild progenitors occurred during the process of domestication. Such information, however, has not been available for the Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) despite its importance as a staple food and a model organism. To reveal levels and patterns of nucleotide diversity and to elucidate the genetic relationship and demographic history of O. sativa and its close relatives (Oryza rufipogon and Oryza nivara), we investigated nucleotide diversity data from 10 unlinked nuclear loci in species-wide samples of these species. The results indicated that O. rufipogon and O. nivara possessed comparable levels of nucleotide variation ((sil) = 0.0077 approximately 0.0095) compared with the relatives of other crops. In contrast, nucleotide diversity of O. sativa was as low as (sil) = 0.0024 and even lower ((sil) = 0.0021 for indica and 0.0011 for japonica), if we consider the 2 subspecies separately. Overall, only 20-10% of the diversity in the wild species was retained in 2 subspecies of the cultivated rice (indica and japonica), respectively. Because statistic tests did not reject the assumption of neutrality for all 10 loci, we further used coalescent to simulate bottlenecks under various lengths and population sizes to better understand the domestication process. Consistent with the dramatic reduction in nucleotide diversity, we detected a severe domestication bottleneck and demonstrated that the sequence diversity currently found in the rice genome could be explained by a founding population of 1,500 individuals if the initial domestication event occurred over a 3,000-year period. Phylogenetic analyses revealed close genetic relationships and ambiguous species boundary of O. rufipogon and O. nivara, providing additional evidence to treat them as 2 ecotypes of a single species. Lowest linkage disequilibrium (LD) was found in the perennial O. rufipogon where the r(2) value dropped to a negligible level within 400 bp, and the highest in the japonica rice where LD extended to the entirely sequenced region ( approximately 900 bp), implying that LD mapping by genome scans may not be feasible in wild rice due to the high density of markers needed.     

Search for and analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in rice (Oryza sativa, Oryza rufipogon) and establishment of SNP markers.

We searched for SNPs in 417 regions distributed throughout the genome of three Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cultivars, two indica cultivars, and a wild rice (O. rufipogon). We found 2800 SNPs in approximately 250,000 aligned bases for an average of one SNP every 89 bp, or one SNP every 232 bp between two randomly selected strains. Graphic representation of the frequency of SNPs along each chromosome showed uneven distribution of polymorphism-rich and -poor regions, but little obvious association with the centromere or telomere. The 94 SNPs that we found between the closely related cultivars 'Nipponbare' and 'Koshihikari' can be converted into molecular markers. Our establishment of 213 co-dominant SNP markers distributed throughout the genome illustrates the immense potential of SNPs as molecular markers not only for genome research, but also for molecular breeding of rice.     

Ecological divergence in the presence of gene flow in two closely related Oryza species (Oryza rufipogon and O. nivara)

Ecological divergence plays a prominent role in the process of speciation, but how divergence occurs in the face of gene flow is still less clear, and remains controversial among evolutionists. Here we investigated the nucleotide diversity, divergence and gene flow between Oryza nivara and O. rufipogon using sequences of seven chloroplast and nuclear loci. By analysing samples from 26 wild populations across the geographic ranges of the two species, we showed that both species were highly structured and O. rufipogon maintained a higher level of species‐wide diversity than O. nivara. Notably, phylogenetic, amova and F_ST analyses were unable to detect significant nucleotide differentiation between the two species. We estimated that the two species began to diverge at c. 0.16 million years ago. Our coalescent‐based simulations strongly rejected the simple isolation model of zero migration between species, but rather provided unambiguous evidence of bidirectional gene flow between species, particularly from O. rufipogon to O. nivara. Our simulations also indicated that gene flow was recurrent during the divergence process rather than arising from secondary contact after allopatric divergence. In conjunction with different morphological and life‐history traits and habitat preference in the two species, this study supports the hypothesis that these Oryza species are better treated as ecotypes that diverged quite recently and are still under the process of divergence. Importantly, we demonstrate the ecological divergence between O. rufipogon and O. nivara in the presence of significant gene flow, implying that natural selection plays a primary role in driving the divergence of the two Oryza species.     

云南及周边普通野生稻遗传多样性及其分布特征研究

利用27对SSR标记对云南普通野生稻的2个自然群体进行遗传多样性和起源进化分析,结果发现我国其他省份的材料与东南亚材料的遗传多样性较高,云南元江材料的遗传多样性最低。亲缘关系分析结果表明,云南元江材料与我国其他省份的普通野生稻之间关系较近,云南景洪普通野生稻与缅甸的普通野生稻关系最近,且云南元江和景洪的普通野生稻的遗传结构之间存在明显差异,说明云南普通野生稻属于中国与东南亚普通野生稻的过渡类型,为水稻起源地的"印度阿萨姆——中国云南"学说提供了科学依据。     

Fitness estimation through performance comparison of F1 hybrids with their parental species Oryza rufipogon and O. sativa

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Introgression of crop genes into populations of wild relatives has important implications for germplasm conservation as well as for the persistence of novel transgenes in wild populations. Studies of hybrid fitness can be used to evaluate the potential for introgression to occur following episodes of interspecific hybridization. METHODS: This study estimated relative fitness of interspecific hybrids through performance comparison of F(1) hybrids with their parental species, a cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) Minghui-63 and perennial common wild rice (O. rufipogon) under the cultivation conditions. KEY RESULTS: Compared with their parents, the hybrids had the lowest values of seedling survival ability, pollen viability and seed production; intermediate values of seed germination, spikelet production and flag leaf areas; and the highest values of plant height, number of tillers and panicles. The hybrids performed poorly at the stage of sexual reproduction, although they had a slightly higher hybrid vigour at the vegetative growth stage and better tillering ability than their wild parent. There were no significant differences in composite fitness across the whole life-history between the hybrids and their wild parental species. CONCLUSIONS: Rice genes, including transgenes, might persist in wild rice populations through vegetative and sexual reproduction. Further studies are needed to examine whether the extent of gene flow from rice is sufficiently significant to influence genetic diversity in wild populations of O. rufipogon, a species that has become endangered in some regions of south-east Asia.     

A large-scale field study of transgene flow from cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) to common wild rice (O. rufipogon) and barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli)

The introgression of transgenes into wild relatives or weeds through pollen-mediated gene flow is a major concern in environmental risk assessment of transgenic crops. A large-scale (1.3–1.8 ha) rice gene flow study was conducted using transgenic rice containing the bar gene as a pollen donor and Oryza rufipogon as a recipient. There was a high frequency of transgene flow (11%−18%) at 0–1 m, with a steep decline with increasing distance to a detection limit of 0.01% by 250 m. To our knowledge, this is the highest frequency and longest distance of gene flow from transgenic rice to O. rufipogon reported so far. On the basis of these data, an adequate isolation distance from both conventional and transgenic rice should be taken for in situ conservation of common wild rice. Meanwhile, there is no evidence of transgene introgression into barnyard grass, even when it has coexisted with transgenic rice containing the bar gene for five successive years. Thus, the environmental risk of gene flow to this weedy species is of little concern.     

桂东南地区普通野生稻遗传多样性研究

利用25个微卫星位点对广西壮族自治区贺州、崇左、防城港3市8个居群301份普通野生稻材料的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行研究,结果表明桂东南地区普通野生稻遗传多样性丰富,平均等位基因数A=10.2400,有效等位基因数Ae=5.0221,平均期望杂合度He=0.7641,实际观察杂合度Ho=0.4840.根据固定指数(F=0.5653)计算出的异交率(t=0.2777)表明,普通野生稻的繁育系统是典型的混合繁育系统.对其遗传结构分析表明,总的遗传变异中有34.59%存在于居群间(Fst=0.3459).进一步研究发现大多数居群偏离了Hardy-Weinberg平衡且杂合体不足(Fis=0.2680,Fit=0.4817).最后根据各居群的遗传变异特点和遗传多样性比较,建议居群QT、YJ和TJ需要优先保护.     

Subspecies-specific intron length polymorphism markers reveal clear genetic differentiation in common wild rice （Oryza rufipogon L.） in relation to the domestication of cultivated rice （O. sativa L.）

It is generally accepted that Oryza rufipogon is the progenitor of Asian cultivated rice （O. sativa）. However, how the two subspecies of O. sativa （indica and japonica） were domesticated has long been debated. To investigate the genetic differentiation in O. rufipogon in relation to the domestication of O. sativa, we developed 57 subspecies-specific intron length polymorphism （SSILP） markers by comparison between 10 indica cultivars and 10 japonica cultivars and defined a standard indica rice and a standard japonica rice based on these SSILP markers. Using these SSILP markers to genotype 73 O. rufipogon accessions, we found that the indica alleles and japonica alleles of the SSILP markers were predominant in the O. rufipogon accessions, suggesting that SSILPs were highly conserved during the evolution of O. sativa. Cluster analysis based on these markers yielded a dendrogram consisting of two distinct groups： one group （Group I） comprises all the O. rufipogon accesions from tropical （South and Southeast） Asia as well as the standard indica rice; the other group （Group II） comprises all the O. rufipogon accessions from Southern China as well as the standard japonica rice. Further analysis showed that the two groups have significantly higher frequencies of indica alleles and japonica alleles, respectively. These results support the hypothesis that indica rice and japonica rice were domesticated from the O. rufipogon of tropical Asia and from that of Southern China, respectively, and suggest that the indica-japonica differentiation should have formed in O. rufipogon long before the beginning of domestication. Furthermore, with an O. glaberrima accession as an outgroup, it is suggested that the indica-japonica differentiation in O. ruffpogon might occur after its speciation from other AA-genome species.     

利用SSR标记分析海南普通野生稻的遗传多样性

选用平均分布于水稻基因组的28对SSR引物,对海南不同纬度5个普通野生稻居群的163份材料进行遗传多样性和遗传结构研究。结果表明:(1)海南普通野生稻具有较高的遗传多样性,28个位点共检测到227个等位变异,平均等位变异数A=8.1071,有效等位变异数Ae=4.4190,平均期望杂合度He=0.4004,实际观察杂合度Ho=0.7062,香农指数I=1.6048;(2)居群的遗传分化系数较大,总的遗传变异中有46.40%存在于居群间(Fst=0.4640);(3)居群内杂合体较高(F is=-0.7069),根据固定指数(F=0.0588)计算出的异交率t=0.8889,说明海南普通野生稻的繁育系统属于一种较高的异交混合交配类型。     

Genetic diversity and origin of weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) populations found in North-eastern China revealed by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) is one of the most notorious weeds occurring in rice-planting areas worldwide. The objectives of this study are to determine the genetic diversity and differentiation of weedy rice populations from Liaoning Province in North-eastern China and to explore the possible origin of these weedy populations by comparing their genetic relationships with rice varieties (O. sativa) and wild rice (O. rufipogon) from different sources. METHODS: Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to estimate the genetic diversity of 30 weedy rice populations from Liaoning, each containing about 30 individuals, selected rice varieties and wild O. rufipogon. Genetic differentiation and the relationships of weedy rice populations were analysed using cluster analysis (UPGMA) and principle component analysis (PCA). KEY RESULTS: The overall genetic diversity of weedy rice populations from Liaoning was relatively high (H(e) = 0.313, I = 0.572), with about 35 % of the genetic variation found among regions. The Liaoning weedy rice populations were closely related to rice varieties from Liaoning and japonica varieties from other regions but distantly related to indica rice varieties and wild O. rufipogon. CONCLUSIONS: Weedy rice populations from Liaoning are considerably variable genetically and most probably originated from Liaoning rice varieties by mutation and intervarietal hybrids. Recent changes in farming practices and cultivation methods along with less weed management may have promoted the re-emergence and divergence of weedy rice in North-eastern China.     

Intra-Population Genetic Structure of Oryza rufipogon Griff. in Yunnan, China

Oryza rufipogon Griff., allozyme analysis was conducted using 22 loci on a typical population from Yunnan Province, China. Non-random distribution of genotypes and/or genetic variability was found among three subpopulations, and the result was further demonstrated by considerable genetic differentiation observed (F _ST =0.206) within the population. Microhabitat selection may not be an important factor in shaping intra-population genetic structure, and restricted gene flow (N _m =0.964<1) and genetic drift act together towards a genetic subdivision within the population. This genetic subdivision may enhance inbreeding and will ultimately lead to genetic depletion within the predominantly outcrossing (t=0.830) perennial population, and therefore, more attention should be paid to the conservation and genetic management of the population. Received 25 June 1999/ Accepted in revised form 31 August 2000     

Allozyme variation and population genetic structure of common wild rice Oryza rufipogon Griff. in China

In order to determine the genetic diversity and genetic structure of populations in common wild rice Oryza rufipogon, an endangered species, allozyme diversity was analyzed using 22 loci in 607 individuals of 21 natural populations from the Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces in China. The populations studied showed a moderate allozyme variability (A=1.33, P=22.7%, Ho=0.033 and He=0.068), which was relatively high for the genus Oryza. The levels of genetic diversity for Guangxi and Guangdong were significantly higher than those for the other regions, and thus South China appeared to be the center of genetic diversity of O. rufipogon in China. A moderate genetic differentiation (F_ST=0.310, I=0.964) was found among the populations studied. Interestingly, the pattern of population differentiation does not correspond to geographic distance. An estimate of the outcrossing rate (t=0.324) suggests that the species has a typical mixed-mating system. The deficit of heterozygotes (F=0.511) indicates that some inbreeding may have taken place in outcrossing asexual populations because of intra-clone outcrossing events and ”isolation by distance” as a result of human disturbance. In order to predict the long-term genetic survival of fragmented populations, further studies on gene flow among the remaining populations and the genetic effects of fragmentation are proposed. Finally, some implications for the conservation of endangered species are suggested. Received: 22 June 1999 / Accepted: 20 December 1999     

海南普通野生稻稻瘟病的抗性鉴定与评价

在苗期应用自然诱发鉴定法对海南普通野生稻(Oryza rufipogonGriff.)41个居群的410份材料进行了2年的稻瘟病(rice blast)抗性鉴定,结果表明:经过初鉴和复鉴,410份海南普通野生稻中有21份表现高抗,占5.1%,117份表现抗,占28.5%,说明海南普通野生稻具有较好的稻瘟病抗性。     

Multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation and speciation in Oryza officinalis and its close relatives

Nucleotide variation in 10 unlinked nuclear genes was investigated in species-wide samples of Oryza officinalis and its close relatives (Oryza eichingeri and Oryza rhizomatis). Average estimates of nucleotide diversity were the lowest in O. rhizomatis ((sil) = 0.0038) and the highest in O. eichingeri ((sil) = 0.0057) that is disjunctly distributed in Africa and Sri Lanka. These wild rice species appeared to harbor relatively low levels of nucleotide variation relative to other plant species because the diversity level of O. eichingeri is only 23-46% of those in Zea species and 35% of that in Arabidopsis thaliana. The lower nucleotide diversity in these Oryza species could be best explained by their smaller historic effective population sizes. The speciation model test indicated that O. officinalis and its close relatives might have undergone a process of population contraction since divergence from their ancestor. Incongruent topologies among 10 gene trees, particularly regarding the positions of O. eichingeri and O. rhizomatis accessions might be attributed to lineage sorting arising from ancient polymorphism and hybridization/introgression between the Sri Lankan O. eichingeri and O. rhizomatis. However, the null hypothesis of the isolation model was not rejected for any contrast between taxa, which suggested that no subsequent gene flow shaped the present patterns of nucleotide variation since their divergence and that introgression was not pervasive in this group of species. Our molecular dating provides an approximate divergence time of 0.37 Myr between 2 geographical races of O. eichingeri, much more recent compared with the times of other speciation events in this group (0.63-0.68 Myr). A long-distance dispersal from West Africa to Sri Lanka was more likely to play a role in the disjunct distribution of O. eichingeri.     

Domestication history in the Medicago sativa species complex: inferences from nuclear sequence polymorphism

DNA sequence polymorphism carries genealogical information and allows for testing hypotheses on selection and population history, especially through coalescent-based analysis. Understanding the evolutionary forces at work in plant domestication and subsequent selection is of critical importance for the management of genetic resources. In this study, we surveyed DNA sequence diversity at two assumed neutral nuclear loci in the wild-domesticated species complex of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). A high level of polymorphism was detected. The domesticated pool contains on average 31% less diversity than the wild pool, but with a high heterogeneity among loci. Coalescent simulations of the domestication process showed that this result cannot be explained by assuming a constant population size but is rather consistent with a demographic bottleneck during domestication. A very low level of divergence was detected between the wild and the domesticated forms as well as between the related subspecies of the M. sativa species complex. However, the originality of the Spanish wild populations, already observed based on mitochondrial DNA polymorphism, was confirmed. These results, together with patterns of intrapopulation polymorphism, suggest that nuclear sequence polymorphism could be a promising tool, complementary to mitochondrial DNA and phenotypic evaluations, to investigate historical demographic and evolutionary processes.     

Local differentiation amidst extensive allele sharing in Oryza nivara and O. rufipogon

Genetic variation patterns within and between species may change along geographic gradients and at different spatial scales. This was revealed by microsatellite data at 29 loci obtained from 119 accessions of three Oryza series Sativae species in Asia Pacific: Oryza nivara Sharma and Shastry, O. rufipogon Griff., and O. meridionalis Ng. Genetic similarities between O. nivara and O. rufipogon across their distribution are evident in the clustering and ordination results and in the large proportion of shared alleles between these taxa. However, local‐level species separation is recognized by Bayesian clustering and neighbor‐joining analyses. At the regional scale, the two species seem more differentiated in South Asia than in Southeast Asia as revealed by F_ST analysis. The presence of strong gene flow barriers in smaller spatial units is also suggested in the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) results where 64% of the genetic variation is contained among populations (as compared to 26% within populations and 10% among species). Oryza nivara (H_E = 0.67) exhibits slightly lower diversity and greater population differentiation than O. rufipogon (H_E = 0.70). Bayesian inference identified four, and at a finer structural level eight, genetically distinct population groups that correspond to geographic populations within the three taxa. Oryza meridionalis and the Nepalese O. nivara seemed diverged from all the population groups of the series, whereas the Australasian O. rufipogon appeared distinct from the rest of the species.     

紧穗野生稻的褐飞虱抗性导入栽培稻的研究

栽培品种的远缘野生种O.eichingeri (2n=24,CC染色体组)是褐飞虱的重要抗源。为了将原产乌干达的O.eichingeri两个编号材料的褐飞虱抗性导入栽培稻02428中,利用胚培养技术获得了两个组合的F.杂种,可交配力分别为0.36％和1.62％。所得F.杂种生长旺盛,分蘖力强,但高度不育,其花粉母细胞中期Ⅰ二价体数为0～4个,平均1.33～1.37。F_1植株用02428回交及套袋自交产生的BC_1F_1和F_2植株形态相似,染色体组均为AAC,花粉母细胞中期Ⅰ染色体构型为(12.02～12.18)Ⅰ (11.67～11.89)Ⅱ (0.04～0.19)Ⅲ,均表现完全不育。进一步检查了42个BC_1F_2植株和9个BC_2F_1植株的染色体数目,其变幅为24～38,从中筛选到2n=25及2n=24的植株各21个,其中5个整倍体植株对褐飞虱表现抗,说明两份紧穗野生稻载有抗性基因的染色体片段已成功转入02428中。本研究还发现一些株高及每穗粒数等明显超亲的材料,这可能与染色体组A与C上某些基因的互作有关。     

广西武宣濠江流域普通野生稻居群遗传多样性及保护研究

选用平均分布于水稻基因组的24对SSR引物,对沿河分布最长的广西武宣濠江流域的12个普通野生稻居群343份材料的遗传结构进行研究.结果表明:(1)该地普通野生稻遗传多样性丰富.24个位点共检测到206个等位变异,平均等位变异数A＝8.7083,有效等位变异数Ae＝3.7117;(2)该地普通野生稻居群具有较高的遗传分化和一定频率的基因流.群体遗传分化系数Gst＝0.2659,基因流Nm＝0.6901,表明26.59%的遗传变异存在于居群间;(3)SSR标记使普通野生稻居群中一些稀有等位变异得以显现.206个等位变异中,65个等位变异仅出现在1个或2个居群中,且频率较低,其中12个等位变异只出现在居群B中;(4)通过聚类分析和主坐标分析(PCO),下游居群A和B遗传关系较近,中游居群C比较独特,单独成为一类,中游居群D、E、F和G遗传关系较近,中游居群H、I和J及上游居群K和L遗传关系较近.根据上述分析结果,建议对濠江下游和中游具有代表性的居群(即居群B、D和H)的普通野生稻进行重点保护.