关联分析及其在植物遗传学研究中的应用

植物的很多重要经济性状均属于复杂性状。基于连锁分析的QTL作图是研究复杂性状的有效手段, 但其尚存在一定的局限性。随着现代生物学的发展, 一种基于连锁不平衡的新剖分复杂性状方法--关联分析法, 开始应用于植物遗传学研究。与QTL作图法相比, 应用关联分析法具有不需要构建特殊的群体, 可同时对多个等位基因进行分析, 定位QTL精度可达到单基因水平等优势。该文介绍了关联分析方法学的基础和特性, 简述了其在植物遗传学研究中的进展情况, 并对其未来发展和在植物遗传学研究中的应用进行了展望。     

关联分析及其在植物中的应用

关联分析是新近开始在植物数量性状研究和植物育种中应用的一种分析方法.它以连锁不平衡为基础鉴定某一群体内性状与遗传标记或候选基因间的关系,是对分子育种中QTL分析的补充和提高.本文在介绍连锁不平衡的定义和度量方法的基础上,讨论连锁不平衡程度和群体结构对关联分析的影响,综述了关联分析在植物方面的研究进展,并最后讨论了关联分析在植物数量性状和分子育种研究中可能的应用.     

关联分析及其在真菌遗传学研究中的应用

近年来,基于连锁不平衡的关联分析被逐渐应用于解析真菌数量性状的遗传基础。本文在介绍关联分析方法的基础上,综述了关联分析在真菌遗传学中的研究进展,并对其未来的应用前景进行了展望。     

水稻QTL分析的研究进展

水稻许多重要的性状是由多基因控制的数量性状,经典的数量遗传学只能把数量性状作为一个整体进行研究。近年来．高密度分子标记连锁图的构建和有效的生物统计学方法的发展使人们对数量性状遗传基础的研究出现了革命性的变化。通过对不同群体内的个体或品系的分子标记基因型和表型数据的共分离分析,能对QTL进行检测和定位。本文对QTL定位的原理和方法进行了介绍,从QTL的数目和效应、上位性效应、QTL基因型与环境的互作、相关性状的QTL以及个体发育不同阶段的QTL等方面对水稻QTL分析的研究进展进行了综述。水稻基因组测序计划已经完成,本文还对基因组时代水稻QTL精细定位和克隆的方法进行了探讨,对QTL分析在水稻育种中的应用前景进行了展望。     

豌豆遗传图谱构建及QTL定位研究进展

豌豆的许多性状是多基因控制的数量性状,QTL定位就是以分子标记技术为工具、以遗传连锁图谱为基础、利用分子标记与QTL之间的连锁关系确定控制数量性状的基因在基因组中的位置.本文对QTL定位原理、方法进行了简单介绍;对豌豆遗传图谱构建及主要性状,如产量、品质、抗病性等QTL定位、遗传效应分析等方面的研究进行综述;对目前基于QTL豌豆分子标记育种存在的问题、应用前景进行了探讨.     

作物数量性状基因座定位及分析研究进展

近年来,分子数量遗传学的快速发展,使作物复杂数量性状尤其是经济性状的QTL研究取得了巨大进展,大大促进了复杂数量性状的遗传改良和分子操纵。本文从分子标记连锁图谱的构建、QTL定位力方法及效应分析、精细定位和QTL验证及应用等方面综述了二十多年来作物QTL的研究进展,讨论当前QTL研究中存在的问题,并展望了作物QTL研究的发展前景。     

单核苷酸多态性在林木中的研究进展

摘要: 单核苷酸多态性(Single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs)是许多生物体最丰富的遗传变异形式。林木是重要的植物类群和陆地植物生态系统的重要组成部分, SNP作为新的分子标记已应用于松、杨、黄杉、桉和云杉等属的多个树种的遗传育种学研究, 获得了包括核苷酸多样性、连锁不平衡及群体结构等相关的遗传信息, 这些研究主要建立在对候选基因序列进行测序分析的基础上。基于SNP的关联遗传学分析或连锁不平衡(Linkage disequilibrium, LD)作图, 已成为研究林木复杂数量性状的理想工具, 对桉树和火炬松的关联遗传学研究发现, 多个基因内的SNP位点与不同的木材性状相关联。利用SNP标记对林木遗传参数的估算从不同程度上揭示了林木群体进化规律及其生态学意义。SNP标记在林木中应用的不断深入, 必将极大地推动林木遗传育种学研究的发展。     

植物数量性状变异的分子基础与QTL克隆研究进展

探讨数量性状变异规律以便对其进行遗传操纵一直是植物遗传学的一个重要领域。DNA分子标记和QTL作图技术的发展以及拟南芥和水稻全基因组测序的完成极大地促进了植物数量性状分子基础的研究。现已克隆了拟南芥ED1、水稻Hdl、玉米Tb1、番茄fw2．2和Brii9-2-5等控制目标数量性状的基因。数量性状表型变异不仅源于多个数量性状基因（QTL）的分离．而且还受到内外环境的修饰。QTL等位基因变异与孟德尔基因变异具有类似的分子基础,即基因表达或蛋白质功能发生改变。通过分析已克隆的植物QTL的变异特征及分子基础,讨论了植物QTL克隆技术策略,并对QTL研究所面临的挑战和应用前景进行了展望。     

多基因离散性状QTL连锁分析方法

动物中有许多重要的离散性状,与常规的数量性状类似,其遗传基础受多基因控制并受到环境因子的修饰。由于多基因离散性状的表型特殊性,利用常规的QTL连锁分析方法很难获得理想的统计效果,相应地发展了许多基于广义线性模型框架内的非线性方法。本文就目前离散性状的QTL连锁分析方法作简要综述,并对可预期的改进方法进行了展望。     

植物数量性状基因的定位与克隆

作物的许多重要农艺性状属于数量性状, 鉴定和发掘控制数量性状的基因及其优异的等位变异, 并使之快速应用于育种实践是新时期作物科学家和育种学家所面临的重大课题。本文从QTL作图、QTL的精细定位与图位克隆、QTL近等基因系和染色体片断代换系的建立以及基于LD的关联分析等方面对植物数量性状的研究进展进行了讨论, 提出了以植物基因组学技术为平台, 将QTL作图与关联分析方法相结合, 是进行数量性状遗传机理研究同时服务于作物育种实践的有效途径。     

Multiparent intercross populations in analysis of quantitative traits

Most traits of interest to medical, agricultural and animal scientists show continuous variation and complex mode of inheritance. DNA-based markers are being deployed to analyse such complex traits, that are known as quantitative trait loci (QTL). In conventional QTL analysis, F2, backcross populations, recombinant inbred lines, backcross inbred lines and double haploids from biparental crosses are commonly used. Introgression lines and near isogenic lines are also being used for QTL analysis. However, such populations have major limitations like predominantly relying on the recombination events taking place in the F1 generation and mapping of only the allelic pairs present in the two parents. The second generation mapping resources like association mapping, nested association mapping and multiparent intercross populations potentially address the major limitations of available mapping resources. The potential of multiparent intercross populations in gene mapping has been discussed here. In such populations both linkage and association analysis can be conductted without encountering the limitations of structured populations. In such populations, larger genetic variation in the germplasm is accessed and various allelic and cytoplasmic interactions are assessed. For all practical purposes, across crop species, use of eight founders and a fixed population of 1000 individuals are most appropriate. Limitations with multiparent intercross populations are that they require longer time and more resource to be generated and they are likely to show extensive segregation for developmental traits, limiting their use in the analysis of complex traits. However, multiparent intercross population resources are likely to bring a paradigm shift towards QTL analysis in plant species.     

Mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling adaptive traits in coastal Douglas fir. III. Quantitative trait loci-by-environment interactions

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were mapped in the woody perennial Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) for complex traits controlling the timing of growth initiation and growth cessation. QTL were estimated under controlled environmental conditions to identify QTL interactions with photoperiod, moisture stress, winter chilling, and spring temperatures. A three-generation mapping population of 460 cloned progeny was used for genetic mapping and phenotypic evaluations. An all-marker interval mapping method was used for scanning the genome for the presence of QTL and single-factor ANOVA was used for estimating QTL-by-environment interactions. A modest number of QTL were detected per trait, with individual QTL explaining up to 9.5% of the phenotypic variation. Two QTL-by-treatment interactions were found for growth initiation, whereas several QTL-by-treatment interactions were detected among growth cessation traits. This is the first report of QTL interactions with specific environmental signals in forest trees and will assist in the identification of candidate genes controlling these important adaptive traits in perennial plants.     

Regression-based multi-trait QTL mapping using a structural equation model

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping often results in data on a number of traits that have well-established causal relationships. Many multi-trait QTL mapping methods that account for the correlation among multiple traits have been developed to improve the statistical power and the precision of QTL parameter estimation. However, none of these methods are capable of incorporating the causal structure among the traits. Consequently, genetic functions of the QTL may not be fully understood. Structural equation modeling (SEM) allows researchers to explicitly characterize the causal structure among the variables and to decompose effects into direct, indirect, and total effects. In this paper, we developed a multi-trait SEM method of QTL mapping that takes into account the causal relationships among traits related to grain yield. Performance of the proposed method is evaluated by simulation study and applied to data from a wheat experiment. Compared with single trait analysis and the multi-trait least-squares analysis, our multi-trait SEM improves statistical power of QTL detection and provides important insight into how QTLs regulate traits by investigating the direct, indirect, and total QTL effects. The approach also helps build biological models that more realistically reflect the complex relationships among QTL and traits and is more precise and efficient in QTL mapping than single trait analysis.     

Mapping of epistatic quantitative trait loci in four-way crosses

Four-way crosses (4WC) involving four different inbred lines often appear in plant and animal commercial breeding programs. Direct mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in these commercial populations is both economical and practical. However, the existing statistical methods for mapping QTL in a 4WC population are built on the single-QTL genetic model. This simple genetic model fails to take into account QTL interactions, which play an important role in the genetic architecture of complex traits. In this paper, therefore, we attempted to develop a statistical method to detect epistatic QTL in 4WC population. Conditional probabilities of QTL genotypes, computed by the multi-point single locus method, were used to sample the genotypes of all putative QTL in the entire genome. The sampled genotypes were used to construct the design matrix for QTL effects. All QTL effects, including main and epistatic effects, were simultaneously estimated by the penalized maximum likelihood method. The proposed method was confirmed by a series of Monte Carlo simulation studies and real data analysis of cotton. The new method will provide novel tools for the genetic dissection of complex traits, construction of QTL networks, and analysis of heterosis.     

Statistical methods for dissecting triploid endosperm traits using molecular markers. An autogamous model

The endosperm, a result of double fertilization in flowering plants, is a triploid tissue whose genetic composition is more complex than diploid tissue. We present a new maximum-likelihood-based statistical method for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying endosperm traits in an autogamous plant. Genetic mapping of quantitative endosperm traits is qualitatively different from traits for other plant organs because the endosperm displays complicated trisomic inheritance and represents a younger generation than its mother plant. Our endosperm mapping method is based on two different experimental designs: (1) a one-stage design in which marker information is derived from the maternal genome and (2) a two-stage hierarchical design in which marker information is derived from both the maternal and offspring genomes (embryos). Under the one-stage design, the position and additive effect of a putative QTL can be well estimated, but the estimates of the dominant and epistatic effects are upward biased and imprecise. The two-stage hierarchical design, which extracts more genetic information from the material, typically improves the accuracy and precision of the dominant and epistatic effects for an endosperm trait. We discuss the effects on the estimation of QTL parameters of different sampling strategies under the two-stage hierarchical design. Our method will be broadly useful in mapping endosperm traits for many agriculturally important crop plants and also make it possible to study the genetic significance of double fertilization in the evolution of higher plants.     

Do large effect QTL fractionate? A case study at the maize domestication QTL teosinte branched1

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping is a valuable tool for studying the genetic architecture of trait variation. Despite the large number of QTL studies reported in the literature, the identified QTL are rarely mapped to the underlying genes and it is usually unclear whether a QTL corresponds to one or multiple linked genes. Similarly, when QTL for several traits colocalize, it is usually unclear whether this is due to the pleiotropic action of a single gene or multiple linked genes, each affecting one trait. The domestication gene teosinte branched1 (tb1) was previously identified as a major domestication QTL with large effects on the differences in plant and ear architecture between maize and teosinte. Here we present the results of two experiments that were performed to determine whether the single gene tb1 explains all trait variation for its genomic region or whether the domestication QTL at tb1 fractionates into multiple linked QTL. For traits measuring plant architecture, we detected only one QTL per trait and these QTL all mapped to tb1. These results indicate that tb1 is the sole gene for plant architecture traits that segregates in our QTL mapping populations. For most traits related to ear morphology, we detected multiple QTL per trait in the tb1 genomic region, including a large effect QTL at tb1 itself plus one or two additional linked QTL. tb1 is epistatic to two of these additional QTL for ear traits. Overall, these results provide examples for both a major QTL that maps to a single gene, as well as a case in which a QTL fractionates into multiple linked QTL.     

植物数量性状基因的定位与克隆

作物的许多重要农艺性状属于数量性状,鉴定和发掘控制数量性状的基因及其优异的等位变异,并使之快速应用于育种实践是新时期作物科学家和育种学家所面临的重大课题。本文从QTL作图、QTL的精细定位与图位克隆、QTL近等基因系和染色体片断代换系的建立以及基于LD的关联分析等方面对植物数量性状的研究进展进行了讨论,提出了以植物基因组学技术为平台,将QTL作图与关联分析方法相结合,是进行数量性状遗传机理研究同时服务于作物育种实践的有效途径。     

Construction of Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Using a Wild Synthetic and QTL Mapping for Plant Morphology

Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) are powerful QTL mapping populations that have been used to elucidate the molecular basis of interesting traits of wild species. Cultivated peanut is an allotetraploid with limited genetic diversity. Capturing the genetic diversity from peanut wild relatives is an important objective in many peanut breeding programs. In this study, we used a marker-assisted backcrossing strategy to produce a population of 122 CSSLs from the cross between the wild synthetic allotetraploid (A. ipaënsis×A. duranensis)^4x and the cultivated Fleur11 variety. The 122 CSSLs offered a broad coverage of the peanut genome, with target wild chromosome segments averaging 39.2 cM in length. As a demonstration of the utility of these lines, four traits were evaluated in a subset of 80 CSSLs. A total of 28 lines showed significant differences from Fleur11. The line×trait significant associations were assigned to 42 QTLs: 14 for plant growth habit, 15 for height of the main stem, 12 for plant spread and one for flower color. Among the 42 QTLs, 37 were assigned to genomic regions and three QTL positions were considered putative. One important finding arising from this QTL analysis is that peanut growth habit is a complex trait that is governed by several QTLs with different effects. The CSSL population developed in this study has proved efficient for deciphering the molecular basis of trait variations and will be useful to the peanut scientific community for future QTL mapping studies.