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New Alleles of FATB1A to Reduce Palmitic Acid Levels in Soybean
Author(s) -
Thapa Rima,
CarreroColón Militza,
Hudson Karen A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2015.09.0597
Subject(s) - palmitic acid , biology , mutant , population , genetics , allele , glycine , gene , biochemistry , fatty acid , amino acid , demography , sociology
In conventional elite soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] varieties palmitic acid typically constitutes 10% of the total seed oil. Palmitic acid is a saturated fat linked to increased cholesterol levels, and reducing levels of saturated fats in soybean oil is a target for soybean improvement. To identify novel and useful variation that could help in reducing palmitic acid levels in soybean, we screened a chemically mutagenized population. Two lines with reduced levels of seed palmitic acid were identified, and each line had a 30% reduction in palmitic acid. Both lines carried distinct mutations in the FATB1A (Glyma.05G012300) gene that co‐segregated with the reduced palmitic acid phenotype. One line carried a single base change that disrupted the splicing of the FATB1A mRNA, and the second contained a missense mutation (aspartic acid substituted for glycine) in a conserved domain of the FATB1 enzyme. Molecular markers were designed that will enable breeders to follow these new FATB1A mutant alleles in plant populations to facilitate gene stacking for oil improvement.