Agricultural Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 518120, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 430074, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Nat Commun. 2019 Jul 31;10(1):3418. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11228-3.
Oil produced by castor (Ricinus communis) has broad industrial applications. However, knowledge on the genetic diversity, especially genetic alterations that occurred during domestication and subsequent traits selection, of this oil crop is limited. Here, our population genomics analyses show that the Chinese castors have developed a geographic pattern, classified into the southern-, the middle-, and the northern-China groups. We detect a number of candidate genomic loci that are associated with the selection signals during the geographical differentiation and domestication. Using genome-wide association analysis, we identify candidate genes associated with nine agronomically important traits. One of the candidate genes encoding a glycosyltransferase related to cellulose and lignin biosynthesis is associated with both capsule dehiscence and endocarp thickness. We hypothesize that the abundance of cellulose or lignin in endocarp is an important factor for capsule dehiscence. Our results provide foundation for castor breeding and genetic study.
蓖麻（Ricinus communis）所产的油具有广泛的工业应用。然而，关于这种油料作物的遗传多样性，特别是在驯化和随后的性状选择过程中发生的遗传变化，人们知之甚少。在这里，我们的群体基因组学分析表明，中国的蓖麻已经形成了一种地理模式，分为南方、中部和北方三个群体。我们检测到许多候选基因组位点，这些位点与地理分化和驯化过程中的选择信号有关。利用全基因组关联分析，我们鉴定出与 9 个农艺重要性状相关的候选基因。其中一个候选基因编码与纤维素和木质素生物合成有关的糖基转移酶，与种皮开裂和内果皮厚度有关。我们假设内果皮中纤维素或木质素的丰度是种皮开裂的一个重要因素。我们的研究结果为蓖麻的育种和遗传研究提供了基础。
