The Negative Correlation between Fiber Color and Quality Traits Revealed by QTL Analysis

Naturally existing colored cotton was far from perfection due to having genetic factors for lower yield, poor fiber quality and monotonous color. These factors posed a challenge to colored cotton breeding and innovation. To identify novel quantitative trait loci (QTL) for fiber color along with understanding of correlation between fiber color and quality in colored cotton, a RIL and two F₂ populations were generated from crosses among Zong128 (Brown fiber cotton) and two white fiber cotton lines which were then analyzed in four environments. Two stable and major QTLs (qLC-7-1, qFC-7-1) for fiber lint and fuzz color were detected accounting for 16.01%-59.85% of the phenotypic variation across multiple generations and environments. Meanwhile, some minor QTLs were also identified on chromosomes 5, 14, 21 and 24 providing low phenotypic variation (<5%) from only F2 populations, not from the RILs population. Especially, a multiple-effect locus for fiber color and quality has been detected between flanking markers NAU1043 and NAU3654 on chromosome 7 (A genome) over multiple environments. Of which, qLC-7-1, qFC-7-1 were responsible for positive effects and improved fiber color in offsprings. Meanwhile, the QTLs (qFL-7-1, qFU-7-1, qFF-7-1, qFE-7-1, and qFS-7-1) for fiber quality had negative effects and explained 2.19%-8.78% of the phenotypic variation. This multiple-effect locus for fiber color and quality may reveal the negative correlation between the two types of above traits, so paving the way towards cotton genetic improvement.     

引进海岛棉种质的SSR遗传多样性分析

利用95对SSR分子标记对56份海岛棉种质进行遗传多样性分析,其中33份来自于俄罗斯,5份来自埃及,2份来自美国,1份来自阿尔巴尼亚,8份来自我国新疆,7份来自我国云南、江苏等地。结果表明,95对SSR引物在56个海岛棉品种中共测出了384个等位基因,其中多态性等位基因296个,占77.1%。每对引物等位基因变幅是2~9个,平均为4.1个。基因多样性指数(H)在0.035~2.931之间,平均为0.879。Shannon信息指数(I)在0.090~4.417之间,平均为1.363。各指数的趋势一致。95对SSR引物的多态性信息含量PIC变幅为0.035~0.926,平均为0.698。56份海岛棉品种两两间的相似系数在0.585~0.952之间,主要集中在0.6~0.8之间,占整个数据的97%,平均遗传相似系数为0.7。从整体上来看,56份海岛棉的遗传相似系数较高,从聚类图上可以看出,以遗传距离为0.69为标准,56份海岛棉品种可分为4类。第1类主要是前苏联海岛棉为主的27份品种,其中来自埃及的吉扎77和来自美国的派字棉以及中239都归到了这一类。第2类较复杂,但主要是以来自新疆的6份海岛棉和来自埃及的吉扎系列的4份为主。第3类包括8个品种,主要是来自于前苏联的6个品种、来自于新疆的巴3116和河北的冀B91-45。第4类只有来自于前苏联的L-8007,独自成一类。研究结果表明SSR作为一种共显性标记,尤为适用于海岛棉及其亲本的系谱分析及鉴定。因而,SSR标记技术可以为海岛棉育种实践工作中的亲本选配,提供可靠的分子水平上的依据。     

Comparative effect of allopolyploidy on transposable element composition and gene expression between Gossypium hirsutum and its two diploid progenitors

An allopolyploidization event formed allotetraploid Gossypium species from an A-genome diploid species and a D-genome diploid species. To explore the responses of transposable elements(TEs) to allopolyploidy, we assembled parallel TE datasets from G. hirsutum, G. arboreum and G. raimondii and analyzed the TE types and the effects of TEs on orthologous gene expression in the three Gossypium genomes.Gypsy was the most abundant TE type and most TEs were located $500 bp from genes in all three genomes. In G. hirsutum, 35.6% of genes harbored TE insertions, whereas insertions were more frequent in G. arboreum and G. raimondii. G. hirsutum had the highest proportion of uniquely matching 24-nt small interfering RNAs(siRNAs) that targeted TEs. TEs,particularly those targeted by 24-nt siRNAs, were associated with reduced gene expression, but the effect of TEs on orthologous gene expression varied substantially among species. Orthologous gene expression levels in G. hirsutum were intermediate between those of G. arboreum and G. raimondii, which did not experience TE expansion or reduction resulting from allopolyploidization. This study underscores the diversity of TEs co-opted by host genes and provides insights into the roles of TEs in regulating gene expression in Gossypium.     

棉属四倍体AD1与二倍体A2、D5基因组的同源SSR分析

SSRs(Simple sequence repeats)是一类广泛存在于动植物基因组的DNA短串联重复序列,是重要的基因组分子标记。比较不同基因组同源SSR的差异,有利于了解相近物种间的进化过程。文章使用雷蒙德氏棉基因组(D₅)、亚洲棉基因组(A₂)全基因组序列和陆地棉(AD₁)的限制性酶切基因组测序数据,进行全基因组SSR扫描,比较了A组和D组的SSR分布情况,通过识别3个基因组之间的同源SSR,比较它们之间同源SSR重复序列的差异。结果发现,A组和D组同源SSR的分布规律非常相似,但A组与AD组的同源SSR保守性比D组与AD组同源SSR的保守性强。与AD组同源SSR相比,A组中重复序列长度增长的SSR数量约为长度缩短的SSR数量的5倍,在D组中这一比值约为3倍。可以推测,四倍体AD组在与A组、D组的平行进化过程中,由于基因组融合,导致SSR的重复序列长度变化速率与二倍体A、D组有差异,同时这种差异可能导致了AD组SSR重复序列长度在进化过程中与二倍体相比有变短的趋势。文章首次对3个棉花基因组的同源SSR进行了系统地比较,发现了同源SSR在棉属四倍体基因组和二倍体基因组中的显著差异,为进一步揭示棉属基因组的进化规律提供了基础。     

Association Mapping for Epistasis and Environmental Interaction of Yield Traits in 323 Cotton Cultivars under 9 Different Environments

Improving yield is a major objective for cotton breeding schemes, and lint yield and its three component traits (boll number, boll weight and lint percentage) are complex traits controlled by multiple genes and various environments. Association mapping was performed to detect markers associated with these four traits using 651 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). A mixed linear model including epistasis and environmental interaction was used to screen the loci associated with these four yield traits by 323 accessions of Gossypium hirsutum L. evaluated in nine different environments. 251 significant loci were detected to be associated with lint yield and its three components, including 69 loci with individual effects and all involved in epistasis interactions. These significant loci explain ∼ 62.05% of the phenotypic variance (ranging from 49.06% ∼ 72.29% for these four traits). It was indicated by high contribution of environmental interaction to the phenotypic variance for lint yield and boll numbers, that genetic effects of SSR loci were susceptible to environment factors. Shared loci were also observed among these four traits, which may be used for simultaneous improvement in cotton breeding for yield traits. Furthermore, consistent and elite loci were screened with −Log₁₀ (P-value) >8.0 based on predicted effects of loci detected in different environments. There was one locus and 6 pairs of epistasis for lint yield, 4 loci and 10 epistasis for boll number, 15 loci and 2 epistasis for boll weight, and 2 loci and 5 epistasis for lint percentage, respectively. These results provided insights into the genetic basis of lint yield and its components and may be useful for marker-assisted breeding to improve cotton production.     

Genomic divergence in cotton germplasm related to maturity and heterosis

Commercial varieties of upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum) have undergone extensive breeding for agronomic traits, such as fiber quality, disease resistance,and yield. Cotton breeding programs have widely used Chinese upland cotton source germplasm(CUCSG) with excellent agronomic traits. A better understanding of the genetic diversity and genomic characteristics of these accessions could accelerate the identification of desirable alleles. Here, we analyzed 10,522 high-quality singlenucleotide polymorphisms(SNP) with the CottonSNP63 K microarray in 137 cotton accessions(including 12 hybrids of upland cotton). These data were used to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure,and genomic characteristics of each population and the contribution of these loci to heterosis. Three subgroups were identified, in agreement with their knownpedigrees, geographical distributions, and times since introduction. For each group, we identified lineagespecific genomic divergence regions, which potentially harbor key alleles that determine the characteristics of each group, such as early maturity-related loci. Investigation of the distribution of heterozygous loci, among 12 commercial cotton hybrids, revealed a potential role for these regions in heterosis. Our study provides insight into the population structure of upland cotton germplasm. Furthermore, the overlap between lineagespecific regions and heterozygous loci, in the high-yield hybrids, suggests a role for these regions in cotton heterosis.