National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.
Plant Sci. 2012 Nov;196:125-31. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2012.08.004. Epub 2012 Aug 14.
Head smut, caused by the fungus Sphacelotheca reiliana (Kühn) Clint, is a devastating global disease in maize, leading to severe quality and yield loss each year. The present study is the first to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of head smut resistance using the Illumina MaizeSNP50 array. Out of 45,868 single nucleotide polymorphisms in a panel of 144 inbred lines, 18 novel candidate genes were associated with head smut resistance in maize. These candidate genes were classified into three groups, namely, resistance genes, disease response genes, and other genes with possible plant disease resistance functions. The data suggested a complicated molecular mechanism of maize resistance against S. reiliana. This study also suggested that GWAS is a useful approach for identifying causal genetic factors for head smut resistance in maize.
头黑穗病由真菌 Sphacelotheca reiliana（Kühn）Clint 引起，是玉米的一种毁灭性全球疾病，每年导致严重的质量和产量损失。本研究首次使用 Illumina MaizeSNP50 阵列对玉米头黑穗病抗性进行全基因组关联研究（GWAS）。在 144 个自交系的面板中，有 45868 个单核苷酸多态性，其中 18 个新的候选基因与玉米对头黑穗病的抗性有关。这些候选基因分为三组，即抗性基因、疾病反应基因和其他可能具有植物抗病功能的基因。这些数据表明了玉米对 S. reiliana 抗性的复杂分子机制。本研究还表明，GWAS 是一种识别玉米对头黑穗病抗性的因果遗传因素的有用方法。
