中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所焦雨铃研究组和中国农业大学王向峰研究组合作,利用前人筛选出的我国小麦微核心种质,通过转录组关联分析和基因共表达网络分析的策略研究了幼穗发育的基因表达调控网络,并验证了其中的关键因子在穗粒数调控中的作用。研究结果得到了多个与穗粒数相关的核心共表达模块。研究人员对其中10个基因进行了过表达分析,发现过表达基因TaTFL1可以延长幼穗分化时间,增加小穗数(如下图),小花数和穗粒数;过表达基因TaPAP2, TaVRS1可以缩短幼穗分化时间,减少小穗数,小花数和穗粒数。以上研究结果为研究人员进一步解析小麦穗发育的遗传调控提供了理论基础,并为有效利用与穗粒数相关的分子模块进行了初步技术验证。
该研究结果于2017年8月14日在线发表在Plant Physiology上(DOI: 10.1104/pp.17.00694)。焦雨铃研究组的博士后王元格和已毕业博士生于浩澎为该文章的共同第一作者。焦雨铃研究员和王向峰教授为共同通讯作者,中科院遗传发育所童依平研究员和高彩霞研究员参与研究。该研究得到了中国科学院分子模块设计育种先导科技专项、转基因专项等项目和植物基因组学国家重点实验室的资助。
原文摘要:
Transcriptome Aassociation Identifies Regulators of Wheat Spike Architecture
Abstract:The architecture of wheat inflorescence and its complexity is among the most important agronomic traits that influence yield. For example, wheat spikes vary considerably in the number of spikelets, which are specialized reproductive branches, and the number of florets, which are spikelet branches that produce seeds. The large and repetitive nature of the three homologous and highly similar subgenomes of wheat has impeded attempts at using genetic approaches to uncover beneficial alleles that can be utilized for yield improvement. Using a population associative transcriptomic approach, we analyzed the transcriptomes of developing spikes in 90 wheat lines comprising 74 landrace and 16 elite varieties, and correlated expression with variations in spike complexity traits. In combination with coexpression network analysis, we inferred the identities of genes related to spike complexity. Importantly, further experimental studies identified regulatory genes whose expression is associated with, and influences spike complexity. The associative transcriptomic approach utilized in this study allows rapid identification of the genetic basis of important agronomic traits in crops with complex genomes.
(来源:中科院遗传所)