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Seed mineral elements are essential not only for seed germination and seedling morphological formation but also for human health. The genetic dissection of seed mineral accumulation is important for mineral biofortification in soybean. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling mineral element accumulation are genetically complex because a number of genetic loci are involved in the metabolic pathways of mineral accumulation in seeds. The objective of this study was to detect the genetic loci for mineral concentrations in soybean seeds, including calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and phosphorus (P). Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for the corresponding traits was performed in 184 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and 219 cultivated soybean accessions. The data for each year and the average across 2 years were used for identification and mapping of QTL controlling seed mineral concentrations. Linkage mapping in the RILs identified totally 35 significant QTL for the five seed mineral concentrations in three cases, some of which were colocalized. Association mapping in the 219 accessions detected 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with the seed mineral concentrations. Among these, BARC-018099-02516, which was associated with seed Zn concentration, was located close to qZn-11-2. There were 20 putative mineral-related genes in interesting regions of mineral QTL. Three QTL for seed weight were mapped in the RILs, two QTL for seed weight were co-localized with seed Ca, Zn and P concentration QTL which anchored to the same region on chromosome 11. These results will provide a profound understanding of the genetic basis for seed mineral accumulation in soybean seeds and the foundation for mineral biofortification through marker-assisted selection breeding.

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The TIFY gene family is a plant-specific gene family encoding a group of proteins characterized by its namesake, the conservative TIFY domain and members can be organized into four subfamilies: ZML, TIFY, PPD and JAZ (Jasmonate ZIM-domain protein) by presence of additional conserved domains. The TIFY gene family is intensively explored in several model and agriculturally important crop species and here, yet the composition of the TIFY family of maize has remained unresolved. This study increases the number of maize TIFY family members known by 40%, bringing the total to 47 including 38 JAZ, 5 TIFY, and 4 ZML genes. The majority of the newly identified genes were belonging to the JAZ subfamily, six of which had aberrant TIFY domains, suggesting loss JAZ-JAZ or JAZ-NINJA interactions. Six JAZ genes were found to have truncated Jas domain or an altered degron motif, suggesting resistance to classical JAZ degradation. In addition, seven membranes were found to have an LxLxL-type EAR motif which allows them to recruit TPL/TPP co-repressors directly without association to NINJA. Expression analysis revealed that ZmJAZ14 was specifically expressed in the seeds and ZmJAZ19 and 22 in the anthers, while the majority of other ZmJAZs were generally highly expressed across diverse tissue types. Additionally, ZmJAZ genes were highly responsive to wounding and JA treatment. This study provides a comprehensive update of the maize TIFY/JAZ gene family paving the way for functional, physiological, and ecological analysis.