Identification of mixed linkage β‐glucan quantitative trait loci and evaluation of AsCslF6 homoeologs in hexaploid oat

Abstract

Hexaploid oat (Avena sativa L.) is a commercially important cereal crop due in part to (1-3,1-4)-β-D-glucan (β-glucan), a hemicellulose important to human health. Cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes have been shown to contribute to β-glucan production, with CslF6 likely being of major importance. Here, we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling β-glucan production in oat. Three panels of elite accessions (Spring, Winter, and World Diversity) of oat were grown in multiple North American locations and genotyped using the Oat 6K Custom Infinium iSelect BeadChip. Independent GWAS were performed on each set of accessions and locations, with a meta-analysis identifying 58 significantly associated markers. Synteny with the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genome identified four major regions of interest revealing the CslF and CslH gene families along with UGPase and AGPase as candidate genes. Subgenome-specific expression of the A, C, and D AsCslF6 homoeologs revealed that AsCslF6_C is the least expressed in all tissue types and time points, with low-β-glucan varieties recording the highest proportion of AsCslF6_C expression. Linkage mapping of the homoeologs placed

The Genetic Architecture of Milling Quality in Spring Oat Lines of the Collaborative Oat Research Enterprise

“…In the Kanota × Marion population, the Kanota alleles contributed increased kernel area and length but decreased beta-glucan. In the CORE association mapping panel, a QTL influencing β-glucan content (5.1; GMI_ES01_c13021_254) was detected at 135.5 cM [28], based on data from Aberdeen 2010, Fargo 2010 and Lacombe 2010 only. Rare allele homozygotes at avgbs_2_58834.1.20 (QBr%.CORE.6A) had higher percent broken groats compared with the common allele homozygotes (8.66% and 6.55%, respectively).…”

GrainGenes: Tools and Content to Assist Breeders Improving Oat Quality

“…As sequencing technologies have become more affordable, it is now feasible for many labs to map QTL for traits using a method called a genome-wide association study (GWAS) [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. This method uses a large collection of markers to quickly scan a large number of subjects.…”

“…Over time, markers have evolved from being based on simple phenotypic characters, to using radioactive labor-intensive techniques, to using fast and inexpensive sequence-based approaches. While bi-parental mapping populations segregating for specific traits were most often used in the past [ 5 , 6 , 7 ], more recent studies often employ the use of association mapping panels comprising hundreds of different lines from different genetic backgrounds [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The CMap application [ 11 ] in GrainGenes provides a tool for the comparison of these datasets, thus enriching the marker density around genes in sparsely populated maps by virtue of common markers.…”

Bioactive Components in Oat and Barley Grain as a Promising Breeding Trend for Functional Food Production

“…This gene family was subdivided into 8 gene groups designated CSLA to CSLH. The CSLF and CSLH groups were found only in cereals, [ 82 , 84 ] and the CSLF group was identified as a candidate for genes encoding β-glucans in cereal crops [ 78 , 85 , 86 ]. While studying the rice genome, six OsCslF genes belonging to the CSLF group were identified on chromosome 7, next to the Bmy2 marker.…”

“…Unlike diploid barley, oat is hexaploid and has three subgenomes: A, C and D. Subgenome-specific expression of homeologues A, C and D of the AsCslF6 gene showed that AsCslF6_C made the least contribution to β-glucan biosynthesis, while oat samples with a low β-glucan content demonstrated the highest input of the AsCslF6_C expression. At the same time, multiple homeologous copies of the AsCslF6_A and AsCslF6_D genes make a significant contribution to the common phenotype of samples with high β-glucan content [ 86 ].…”