Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 18;12(1):1144. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21378-y.
Pear is a major fruit tree crop distributed worldwide, yet its breeding is a very time-consuming process. To facilitate molecular breeding and gene identification, here we have performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on eleven fruit traits. We identify 37 loci associated with eight fruit quality traits and five loci associated with three fruit phenological traits. Scans for selective sweeps indicate that traits including fruit stone cell content, organic acid and sugar contents might have been under continuous selection during breeding improvement. One candidate gene, PbrSTONE, identified in GWAS, has been functionally verified to be involved in the regulation of stone cell formation, one of the most important fruit quality traits in pear. Our study provides insights into the complex fruit related biology and identifies genes controlling important traits in pear through GWAS, which extends the genetic resources and basis for facilitating molecular breeding in perennial trees.
梨是一种分布广泛的主要水果作物，但它的培育是一个非常耗时的过程。为了促进分子育种和基因鉴定，我们在这里对十一个果实性状进行了全基因组关联研究（GWAS）。我们鉴定出 37 个与 8 个果实品质性状相关的位点和 5 个与 3 个果实物候期性状相关的位点。选择扫描表明，包括果实石细胞含量、有机酸和糖含量在内的性状可能在育种改良过程中一直受到持续选择。在 GWAS 中鉴定出的一个候选基因 PbrSTONE，已被功能验证参与调控石细胞的形成，这是梨最重要的果实品质性状之一。我们的研究深入了解了复杂的果实相关生物学，并通过 GWAS 鉴定出控制梨重要性状的基因，这扩展了遗传资源，为促进多年生树木的分子育种提供了基础。
