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Corn hybrids display lower metabolite variability and complex metabolite inheritance patterns
Author(s) -
Lisec Jan,
RömischMargl Lilla,
Nikoloski Zoran,
Piepho HansPeter,
Giavalisco Patrick,
Selbig Joachim,
Gierl Alfons,
Willmitzer Lothar
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2011.04689.x
Subject(s) - hybrid , metabolite , heterosis , biology , metabolome , inbred strain , genetics , inheritance (genetic algorithm) , botany , gene , biochemistry
Summary We conducted a comparative analysis of the root metabolome of six parental maize inbred lines and their 14 corresponding hybrids showing fresh weight heterosis. We demonstrated that the metabolic profiles not only exhibit distinct features for each hybrid line compared with its parental lines, but also separate reciprocal hybrids. Reconstructed metabolic networks, based on robust correlations between metabolic profiles, display a higher network density in most hybrids as compared with the corresponding inbred lines. With respect to metabolite level inheritance, additive, dominant and overdominant patterns are observed with no specific overrepresentation. Despite the observed complexity of the inheritance pattern, for the majority of metabolites the variance observed in all 14 hybrids is lower compared with inbred lines. Deviations of metabolite levels from the average levels of the hybrids correlate negatively with biomass, which could be applied for developing predictors of hybrid performance based on characteristics of metabolite patterns.