Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in LpIRI1 gene with freezing tolerance traits in perennial ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is an important agricultural species, however, susceptible to winterkill. Freezing injury is caused primarily by ice formation. The LpIRI1 protein has the potential to inhibit ice recrystallization, thus minimize the damage. An association study was conducted using single nucleotide polymorphisms obtained through allele sequencing of the LpIRI1 gene and phenotypic data were collected using two phenotyping platforms in a perennial ryegrass association mapping population of 76 diverse genotypes. Winter survival (FWS) was evaluated under field conditions, while tiller survival (PTS) and electrolyte leakage (EL) at -8 °C and -12 °C were determined under controlled-environment conditions. Proline content (PC) in cold-acclimated plants was measured prior the freezing test. Significant variation in FWS, PTS, EL and PC was observed among genotypes in our panel. EL and PTS revealed significant negative correlations at -8 °C (rs = -0.40) and -12 °C (rs = -0.49). PC, however, did not show significant correlations with any of the measured traits, while FWS was correlated (rs = -0.48) with EL at -12 °C. The LpIRI1 gene was found to be highly polymorphic with an average SNP frequency of 1 SNP per 16 bp. Association analysis revealed two non-synonymous SNPs being associated with increased EL, both being located in the LpIRI1 leucine-rich repeat. The results indicate that allelic variation in the LpIRI1 gene plays an important role in the cell membrane integrity of perennial ryegrass during freezing, and can be exploited for developing more freezing tolerant cultivars

Identification of genes involved in a water stress response in timothy and mapping of orthologous loci in perennial ryegrass

In order to characterize the response of selected grasses to water stress, relative water content (RWC) in leaves and quantum efficiency of photosystem 2 (Fv/Fm) were measured in Phleum pratense L., P. bertolonii DC. and P. phleoides H. Karst. during 6 d of water stress. The results indicated differential responses to water stress among the three Phleum species with higher water deficit sensitivity of P. pratense and P. bertolonii than that of P. phleoides. The cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphism (cDNA-AFLP) technique was applied to identify differentially expressed genes responding to water stress in P. pratense. Cloned and sequenced differentially expressed fragments (DEFs) were used for primer design in order to identify orthologous genes in Lolium perenne L. Twelve genes orthologous to P. pratense DEFs were mapped in the L. perenne mapping population VrnA based on a high resolution melting curve analysis (HRM). This study provides genomic information about 29 differentially expressed genes after water stress in P. pratense and reports on the identification and mapping of twelve orthologs in L. perenne

Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in LpIRI1 gene with freezing tolerance traits in perennial ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is an important agricultural species, however, susceptible to winterkill. Freezing injury is caused primarily by ice formation. The LpIRI1 protein has the potential to inhibit ice recrystallization, thus minimize the damage. An association study was conducted using single nucleotide polymorphisms obtained through allele sequencing of the LpIRI1 gene and phenotypic data were collected using two phenotyping platforms in a perennial ryegrass association mapping population of 76 diverse genotypes. Winter survival (FWS) was evaluated under field conditions, while tiller survival (PTS) and electrolyte leakage (EL) at -8 °C and -12 °C were determined under controlled-environment conditions. Proline content (PC) in cold-acclimated plants was measured prior the freezing test. Significant variation in FWS, PTS, EL and PC was observed among genotypes in our panel. EL and PTS revealed significant negative correlations at -8 °C (rs = -0.40) and -12 °C (rs = -0.49). PC, however, did not show significant correlations with any of the measured traits, while FWS was correlated (rs = -0.48) with EL at -12 °C. The LpIRI1 gene was found to be highly polymorphic with an average SNP frequency of 1 SNP per 16 bp. Association analysis revealed two non-synonymous SNPs being associated with increased EL, both being located in the LpIRI1 leucine-rich repeat. The results indicate that allelic variation in the LpIRI1 gene plays an important role in the cell membrane integrity of perennial ryegrass during freezing, and can be exploited for developing more freezing tolerant cultivars.This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Euphytica. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10681-014-1330-y.</p