Genetic basis of the oil biosynthesis in ultra-high-oil maize grains with an oil content exceeding 20%

• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1168216
• Publication Date: 2023-05-12T06:15:53Z
• Authors: Meijie Luo; Baishan Lu; Yaxing Shi; Yanxin Zhao; Junling Liu; Chunyuan Zhang; Yuandong Wang; Hui Liu; Yamin Shi; Yanli Fan; Li Xu; Ronghuan Wang; Jiuran Zhao
• Keywords: Candidate gene

Vegetable oil is an important part of the human diet and has multiple industrial uses. The rapid increase in vegetable consumption necessitated development viable methods for optimizing content plants. key genes regulating biosynthesis maize grain remain mostly uncharacterized. In this study, by analyzing contents performing bulked segregant RNA sequencing mapping analyses, we determined that su1 sh2-R mediate shrinkage ultra-high-oil grains contribute to content. Functional kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers developed detected su1su1Sh2Sh2, Su1Su1sh2sh2, su1su1sh2sh2 mutants among 183 sweet inbred lines. An (RNA-seq) analysis indicated differentially expressed between two conventional lines were significantly associated with linoleic acid metabolism, cyanoamino glutathione alanine, aspartate, glutamate nitrogen metabolism. A bulk (BSA-seq) identified another 88 genomic intervals related content, 16 which overlapped previously reported oil-related QTLs. combined BSA-seq RNA-seq data enabled identification candidate genes. KASP GRMZM2G176998 (putative WD40-like beta propeller repeat family protein), GRMZM2G021339 (homeobox-transcription factor 115), GRMZM2G167438 (3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase) Another gene, GRMZM2G099802 (GDSL-like lipase/acylhydrolase), catalyzes final step triacylglycerol synthesis pathway was at higher levels than These novel findings will help clarify genetic basis increased production exceeding 20%. study may be useful breeding new high-oil varieties.