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Genome‐wide association study dissects the genetic bases of salt tolerance in maize seedlings
Author(s) -
Luo Xi,
Wang Bingcai,
Gao Shan,
Zhang Fei,
Terzaghi William,
Dai Mingqiu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of integrative plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.734
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1744-7909
pISSN - 1672-9072
DOI - 10.1111/jipb.12797
Subject(s) - biology , candidate gene , gene , genetics , genome wide association study , phenotype , quantitative trait locus , population , genome , genetic association , botany , genotype , single nucleotide polymorphism , demography , sociology
Excess salinity is a natural stress that causes crop yield losses worldwide. The genetic bases of maize salt tolerance remain largely unknown. Here we investigated the survival rates of 445 maize natural accessions after salt treatments. A skewed distribution of the salt‐tolerant phenotypes was observed in this population. Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) revealed 57 loci significantly associated with salt tolerance. Forty‐nine candidate genes were detected from these loci. About 10% of these genes were co‐localized with loci from QTL mapping. Forty four percent of the candidate genes were involved in stress responses, ABA signaling, stomata division, DNA binding/transcription regulation and auxin signaling, suggesting that they are key genetic mechanisms of maize salt tolerance. Transgenic studies showed that two genes, the salt‐tolerance‐associated‐gene 4 ( SAG4, GRMZM2G077295 ) and SAG6 ( GRMZM2G106056 ), which encode a protein transport protein and the double‐strand break repair protein MRE11, respectively, had positive roles in plant salt tolerance, and their salt‐tolerant haplotypes were revealed. The genes we identified in this study provide a list of candidate targets for further study of maize salt tolerance, and of genetic markers and materials that may be used for breeding salt‐tolerance in maize.