Mapping and validation of quantitative trait loci associated with concentrations of 16 elements in unmilled rice grain

Acknowledgments This research was supported in part by the US National Science Foundation, Plant Genome Research Program (Grant #IOS 0701119) awarded to D.E.S, M.L.G and S.R.M.P. We acknowledge Dr. Kathleen Yeater for consultation on analyzing marker-trait associations using SAS JMP Genomics. Mention of a trademark or proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the US Department of Agriculture or Texas A&M AgriLife Research, and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that also can be suitable. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Genome-wide association mapping for grain manganese in rice (Oryza sativa L.) using a multi-experiment approach

Funding Information: Acknowledgements This research was partly supported by the US National Science Foundation, Plant Genome Research Program (grant #IOS 0701119 to DES, MLG and SRMP) and The US National Institutes of Health (grant 2P4ES007373 to MLG and DES). PR is a PhD student funded by the Thai Government Scholarship.Peer reviewedPostprin

Genome wide association mapping of grain arsenic, copper, molybdenum and zinc in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown at four international field sites

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Wnt expression is not correlated with β-catenin dysregulation in Dupuytren's Disease

BACKGROUND: Dupuytren's contracture or disease (DD) is a fibro-proliferative disease of the hand that results in finger flexion contractures. Increased cellular β-catenin levels have been identified as characteristic of this disease. As Wnts are the most widely recognized upstream regulators of cellular β-catenin accumulation, we have examined Wnt gene expression in surgical specimens and in DD-derived primary cell cultures grown in two-dimensional monolayer culture or in three-dimensional FPCL collagen lattice cultures. RESULTS: The Wnt expression profile of patient-matched DD and unaffected control palmar fascia tissue was determined by a variety of complimentary methods; Affymetrix Microarray analysis, specific Wnt and degenerative primer-based Reverse Transcriptase (RT)-PCR, and Real Time PCR. Microarray analysis identified 13 Wnts associated with DD and control tissues. Degenerate Wnt RT-PCR analysis identified Wnts 10b and 11, and to a lesser extent 5a and 9a, as the major Wnt family members expressed in our patient samples. Competitive RT-PCR analysis identified significant differences between the levels of expression of Wnts 9a, 10b and 11 in tissue samples and in primary cell cultures grown as monolayer or in FPCL, where the mRNA levels in tissue > FPCL cultures > monolayer cultures. Real Time PCR data confirmed the down-regulation of Wnt 11 mRNA in DD while Wnt 10b, the most frequently isolated Wnt in DD and control palmar fascia, displayed widely variable expression between the methods of analysis. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that changes in Wnt expression per se are unlikely to be the cause of the observed dysregulation of β-catenin expression in DD

Worldwide genetic diversity for mineral element concentrations in rice grain

With the aim of identifying rice (Oryza spp.) germplasm having enhanced grain nutritional value, the mineral nutrient and trace element concentrations (or ionome) of whole (unmilled) grains from a set of 1763 rice accessions of diverse geographic and genetic origin were evaluated. Seed for analysis of P, Mg, K, S, Ca, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Rb, Sr, and Zn concentrations by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was produced over 2 yr in Beaumont, TX, under both flooded and unflooded watering regimes. The distributions of all element concentrations analyzed were skewed toward higher concentration. A significant portion of this ionomic variation has a genetic basis (broad sense heritabilities 0.14–0.75), indicating an ability to breed for improved grain concentration of all elements except possibly Ni. Variation in grain elemental concentrations was not strongly associated with plant height, heading time, or grain shape, suggesting these physiological factors are not of primary importance in controlling ionomic variation in rice grain. Accessions high in specific elements were sometimes found to have similar genetic or geographic origins, suggesting they share a heritable mechanism underlying their enhanced ionomes. For example, accessions with high Ca, Mg, or K were more common in the indica than in the japonica subgroup; low As was most common among temperate japonica accessions; and several lines high in Mo originated in Malaysia or adjacent Brunei

Genetic loci regulating the concentrations of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins in the pericarps of purple and red rice

Abstract The pigmented flavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, have health promoting properties. Previous work determined that the genes Pb and Rc turn on and off the biosynthesis of anthocyanins (purple) and proanthocyanidins (red), respectively. Not yet known is how the concentrations of these pigmented flavonoids are regulated in grain pericarps. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis in a population of rice (Oryza sativa L.) F5 recombinant inbred lines from white pericarp “IR36ae” x red+purple pericarp “242” revealed three QTLs associated with grain concentrations of anthocyanins (TAC) or proanthocyanidins (PA). Both TAC and PA independently mapped to a 1.5 Mb QTL region on chromosome 3 between RM3400 (at 15.8 Mb) and RM15123 (17.3 Mb), named qPR3. Across 2 years, qPR3 explained 36.3% of variance in TAC and 35.8% in PA variance not attributable to Pb or Rc. The qPR3 region encompasses Kala3, a MYB transcription factor previously known to regulate purple grain characteristics. Study of PbPbRcrc progeny showed that TAC of RcRc near isogenic lines (NILs) was 2.1–4.5x that of rcrc. Similarly, study of PbPbRcRc NILs, which had 70% higher PA than pbpbRcRc NILs, revealed a mutual enhancement, not a trade‐off between these compounds that share precursors. This suggests that Pb and Rc upregulate genes in a shared pathway as they activate TAC and PA synthesis, respectively. This study provides molecular markers for facilitating marker‐assisted selection of qPR3, qPR5, and qPR7 to enhance grain concentrations of pigmented flavonoids and documented that stacking Rc and Pb genes further increases both flavonoid compounds

Variation in grain arsenic assessed in a diverse panel of rice (Oryza sativa) grown in multiple sites

Inorganic arsenic (Asi) in rice (Oryza sativa) grains is a possible threat to human health, with risk being strongly linked to total dietary rice consumption and consumed rice Asi content. This study aimed to identify the range and stability of genetic variation in grain arsenic (As) in rice. Six field trials were conducted (one each in Bangladesh and China, two in Arkansas, USA over 2 yr, and two in Texas, USA comparing flooded and nonflood treatments) on a large number of common rice cultivars (c. 300) representing genetic diversity among international rice cultivars. Within each field there was a 334 fold range in grain As concentration which varied between rice subpopulations. Importantly, Asi correlated strongly with total As among a subset of 40 cultivars harvested in Bangladesh and China. Genetic variation at all field sites was a large determining factor for grain As concentration, indicating that cultivars low in grain As could be developed through breeding. The temperate japonicas exhibited lower grain As compared with other subpopulations. Effects for year, location and flooding management were also statistically significant, suggesting that breeding strategies must take into account environmental factors

GWA mapping of grain arsenic concentration at the five field sites across the 12 rice chromosomes.

<p>Data points represent SNPs significantly associated (p<0.0001) with the trait and which have a MAF >5%. Significant SNPs from different experiments are displayed with different coloured symbols: 2006 Arkansas are red, 2007 Arkansas are black, 2009 Texas are blue, Faridpur are green, and Qiyang are grey. Analyses of the combined subpopulation groups and separate subpopulations are represented by different symbols: combined analysis = X, <i>aus</i> = circle, <i>indica</i> = square, <i>tropical japonica</i> = triangle, <i>temperate japonica</i> = inverted triangle. Yellow highlighted bars indicate regions of mapped QTLs for grain arsenic concentration (21, 22). Dotted lines indicate chromosome ends.</p

Co-localisation of significant SNPs from multiple field experiments detected in this study and previously detected QTLs.

<p>Co-localisation of significant SNPs from multiple field experiments detected in this study and previously detected QTLs.</p