Key Lab of Tree Genetics and Biotechnology of Educational Department of China, Key Lab of Tree Genetics and Sivilcultural Sciences of Jiangsu Province, Southern Modern Forestry Collaborative Innovation Center, Nanjing Forestry University, 159# Longpan Road, Nanjing 210037, China.
School of Life Science, Shaoxing University, 508# Huancheng West Road, Shaoxing 312000, Zhejiang, China.
Tree Physiol. 2022 Apr 7;42(4):877-890. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpab138.
Elucidating the genetic factors underlying long-term biological processes remains challenging since the relevant genes and their effects may vary across different developmental stages. In this study, we carried out a large-scale field trial of the progeny of an F1 full-sib pedigree of Salix suchowensis and measured plant height and ground diameter periodically over a time course of 240 days. With the obtained data, we characterized plant growth rhythms and performed time-sequential analyses of quantitative trait loci underlying the dynamic growth of the plants. The dynamic mapping of quantitative trait loci revealed that stem height and ground diameter were under the control of four quantitative trait loci, and the effects of these quantitative trait loci varied greatly throughout the growth process, in which two quantitative trait loci were found to exert a pleiotropic effect determining the correlation between stem height and ground diameter. The analysis of candidate genes in the target genetic intervals showed that the pleiotropic effect of the two quantitative trait loci arises from the colocalization of genes with independent effects on stem height and ground diameter. Further examination of the expression patterns of the candidate genes indicated that height and circumference growth involve different activities of leaf and cambium tissues. This study provides unprecedented information to help us understand the dynamic growth of plants and presents an applicable strategy for elucidating the genetic mechanism underlying a long-term biological process by using plant growth as an example.
阐明长期生物过程背后的遗传因素仍然具有挑战性，因为相关基因及其影响可能因不同的发育阶段而异。在这项研究中，我们对柳树杂交种的 F1 全同胞家系的后代进行了大规模田间试验，并在 240 天的时间内定期测量植株高度和地径。利用获得的数据，我们描述了植物生长节律，并对植物动态生长的数量性状位点进行了时间序列分析。数量性状位点的动态作图表明，茎高和地径受四个数量性状位点的控制，这些数量性状位点在整个生长过程中的作用差异很大，其中两个数量性状位点表现出多效性，决定了茎高和地径之间的相关性。在目标遗传区间候选基因的分析表明，两个数量性状位点的多效性是由独立影响茎高和地径的基因的共定位引起的。对候选基因表达模式的进一步研究表明，高度和周长的生长涉及到叶片和形成层组织的不同活动。这项研究提供了前所未有的信息，帮助我们理解植物的动态生长，并为阐明以植物生长为例的长期生物过程的遗传机制提供了一种可行的策略。
