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Extreme QTL mapping of germination speed in Arabidopsis thaliana
Author(s) -
Yuan Wei,
Flowers Jonathan M.,
Sahraie Dustin J.,
Ehrenreich Ian M.,
Purugganan Michael D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.13768
Subject(s) - quantitative trait locus , biology , arabidopsis thaliana , germination , selection (genetic algorithm) , population , genetic architecture , arabidopsis , genetics , gene , botany , mutant , demography , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
Seed germination is a key life history transition for annual plants and partly determines lifetime performance and fitness. Germination speed, the elapsed time for a nondormant seed to germinate, is a poorly understood trait important for plants’ competitiveness and fitness in fluctuating environments. Germination speed varied by 30% among 18 Arabidopsis thaliana populations measured, and exhibited weak negative correlation with flowering time and seed weight, with significant genotype effect ( P < 0.005). To dissect the genetic architecture of germination speed, we developed the extreme QTL (X‐ QTL ) mapping method in A. thaliana . The method has been shown in yeast to increase QTL mapping power by integrating selective screening and bulk‐segregant analysis in a very large mapping population. By pooled genotyping of top 5% of rapid germinants from ~100 000 F 3 individuals, three X‐ QTL regions were identified on chromosomes 1, 3 and 4. All regions were confirmed as QTL regions by sequencing 192 rapid germinants from an independent F 3 selection experiment. Positional overlaps were found between X‐ QTL s and previously identified seed, life history and fitness QTL s. Our method provides a rapid mapping platform in A. thaliana with potentially greater power. One can also relate identified X‐ QTL s to the A. thaliana physical map, facilitating candidate gene identification.