Extensive microsatellite variation in rice induced by introgression from wild rice (Zizania latifolia Griseb.)

Development of introgression lines and mapping of qGW2, a novel QTL that confers grain width, in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice grain size is a key determinant of both grain yield and quality. Identification of favorable alleles for use in rice breeding may help to meet the demand for increased yield. In this study, we developed a set of 210 introgression lines (ILs) by using indica variety Huanghuazhan as the donor parent and erect-panicle japonica rice variety Wuyujing3R as the recurrent parent. A total of 133 ILs were selected for high-throughput sequencing. Using specific-locus amplified fragment (SLAF) sequencing technology, 10,103 high-quality SLAF labels evenly distributed on 12 chromosomes were obtained and selected for subsequent analysis. Using a high-density map, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping of grain size-related traits was performed, and a total of 38 QTLs were obtained in two environments. Furthermore, qGW2, a novel QTL that controls grain width on chromosome 2, was validated and delimited to a region of 309 kb via substitution mapping. These findings provide new genetic material and a basis for future fine mapping and cloning of favorable QTLs.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01453-0.

Essential nutrient element profiles in rice types: a risk-benefit assessment including inorganic arsenic

Rice is consumed by nearly half of the global population and a significant source of energy and nutrients. However, rice consumption can also be a significant pathway of inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure, thus requiring a risk-benefit assessment. This study assessed nutrient element (NE) densities in fifty-five rice types (white, brown and wild rice) marketed in the UK. Densities of essential NE were used to rank rice types in meeting daily NE targets under different consumption scenarios through a newly developed optimisation approach. Using iAs data from these rice types, we assessed the margin of exposure (MOE) for low (the UK) and high (Bangladesh) rice intake scenarios. Our results showed that brown and wild rice are significantly higher in many NE and significantly contribute to dietary reference value (DRV). Our modelling showed that switching to brown or wild rice could increase the intake of several essential nutrients by up to eight times that of white rice. Using rice consumption data for mid-to-high-consumption countries, we estimate that brown rice could provide 100 % adult DRV for Fe, Mg, Cr, P and Mo, and substantial contributions for Zn, Se and K. Our results show that the amount of rice primarily determines risk from iAs consumed rather than the type of rice. Therefore, switching from white to brown or wild rice could be beneficial, provided iAs concentration in rice is within the recommended limits.

New Phenotypes of Potato Co-induced by Mismatch Repair Deficiency and Somatic Hybridization

As plants are sessile they need a very efficient system for repairing damage done by external or internal mutagens to their DNA. Mismatch repair (MMR) is one of the systems that maintain genome integrity and prevent homeologous recombination. In all eukaryotes mismatches are recognized by evolutionary conserved MSH proteins often acting as heterodimers, the constant component of which is MSH2. Changes affecting the function of MSH2 gene may induce a 'mutator' phenotype and microsatellite instability (MSI), as is demonstrated in MSH2 knock-out and silenced lines of Arabidopsis thaliana. The goal of this study was to screen for 'mutator' phenotypes in somatic hybrids between potato cvs. 'Delikat' and 'Désirée' and MMR deficient Solanum chacoense transformed using antisense (AS) or dominant negative mutant (DN) AtMSH2 genes. The results demonstrate that first generation fusion hybrids have a range of morphological abnormalities caused by uniparental MMR deficiency; these mutant phenotypes include: dwarf or gigantic plants; bushiness; curled, small, large or abnormal leaves; a deterioration in chloroplast structure; small deep-purple tubers and early dehiscent flowers. Forty percent of the viable somatic hybrids planted in a greenhouse, (10 out of 25 genotypes) had mutant phenotypes accompanied by MSI. The majority of the hybrids with 'mutator' phenotypes cultured on media containing kanamycin developed roots so sustaining the presence of selectable marker gene nptII, from the initial constructs. Here for the first time, MMR deficiency combined with somatic hybridization, are used to induce new phenotypes in plants, which supports the role of MMR deficiency in increasing introgressions between two related species.

The complete plastid genome of the wild rice species Oryza brachyantha (Poaceae)

The whole plastid genome of wild rice (Oryza brachyantha) is characterized in this study. The genome is 134 604 bp in length and is arranged in a typical circular structure, including a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 20 832 bp in size separated by a large single-copy region (LSC) of 80 411 bp in length and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 12 529 bp in length. The overall GC content of the genome is 38.98%. One hundred and ten unique genes were annotated from the chloroplast genome, including 76 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes and 30 tRNA genes. A total of 20 of these genes are duplicated in the IR regions, 13 genes contain 1 intron and 2 genes (rps12 and ycf3) have 2 introns.

A simple strategy for development of single nucleotide polymorphisms from non-model species and its application in Panax

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are widely employed in the studies of population genetics, molecular breeding and conservation genetics. In this study, we explored a simple route to develop SNPs from non-model species based on screening the library of single copy nuclear genes (SCNGs). Through application of this strategy in Panax, we identified 160 and 171 SNPs from P. quinquefolium and P. ginseng, respectively. Our results demonstrated that both P. ginseng and P. quinquefolium possessed a high level of nucleotide diversity. The number of haplotype per locus ranged from 1 to 12 for P. ginseng and from 1 to 9 for P. quinquefolium, respectively. The nucleotide diversity of total sites (πT) varied between 0.000 and 0.023 for P. ginseng and 0.000 and 0.035 for P. quinquefolium, respectively. These findings suggested that this approach is well suited for SNP discovery in non-model organisms and is easily employed in standard genetics laboratory studies.

Extensive tRNA gene changes in synthetic Brassica napus

Allopolyploidization, where two species come together to form a new species, plays a major role in speciation and genome evolution. Transfer RNAs (abbreviated tRNA) are typically 73-94 nucleotides in length, and are indispensable in protein synthesis, transferring amino acids to the cell protein synthesis machinery (ribosome). To date, the regularity and function of tRNA gene sequence variation during the process of allopolyploidization have not been well understood. In this study, the inter-tRNA gene corresponding to tRNA amplification polymorphism method was used to detect changes in tRNA gene sequences in the progeny of interspecific hybrids between Brassica rapa and B. oleracea, mimicking the original B. napus (canola) species formation event. Cluster analysis showed that tRNA gene variation during allopolyploidization did not appear to have a genotypic basis. Significant variation occurred in the early generations of synthetic B. napus (F1 and F2 generations), but fewer alterations were observed in the later generation (F3). The variation-prone tRNA genes tended to be located in AT-rich regions. BlastN analysis of novel tRNA gene variants against a Brassica genome sequence database showed that the variation of these tRNA-gene-associated sequences in allopolyploidization might result in variation of gene structure and function, e.g., metabolic process and transport.

Genomewide variation in an introgression line of rice-Zizania revealed by whole-genome re-sequencing

BACKGROUND

Hybridization between genetically diverged organisms is known as an important avenue that drives plant genome evolution. The possible outcomes of hybridization would be the occurrences of genetic instabilities in the resultant hybrids. It remained under-investigated however whether pollination by alien pollens of a closely related but sexually "incompatible" species could evoke genomic changes and to what extent it may result in phenotypic novelties in the derived progenies.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In this study, we have re-sequenced the genomes of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Matsumae and one of its derived introgressant RZ35 that was obtained from an introgressive hybridization between Matsumae and Zizanialatifolia Griseb. in general, 131 millions 90 base pair (bp) paired-end reads were generated which covered 13.2 and 21.9 folds of the Matsumae and RZ35 genomes, respectively. Relative to Matsumae, a total of 41,724 homozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 17,839 homozygous insertions/deletions (indels) were identified in RZ35, of which 3,797 SNPs were nonsynonymous mutations. Furthermore, rampant mobilization of transposable elements (TEs) was found in the RZ35 genome. The results of pathogen inoculation revealed that RZ35 exhibited enhanced resistance to blast relative to Matsumae. Notably, one nonsynonymous mutation was found in the known blast resistance gene Pid3/Pi25 and real-time quantitative (q) RT-PCR analysis revealed constitutive up-regulation of its expression, suggesting both altered function and expression of Pid3/Pi25 may be responsible for the enhanced resistance to rice blast by RZ35.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Our results demonstrate that introgressive hybridization by Zizania has provoked genomewide, extensive genomic changes in the rice genome, and some of which have resulted in important phenotypic novelties. These findings suggest that introgressive hybridization by alien pollens of even a sexually incompatible species may represent a potent means to generate novel genetic diversities, and which may have played relevant roles in plant evolution and can be manipulated for crop improvements.