Shi Xia, Geng Shenghui, Hou Jinna, Shi Taotao, Qin Maomao, Li Wenxu, Dai Ziju, Zhou Zhengfu, Zhang Minghui, Lei Zhensheng
Henan Institute of Crop Molecular Breeding, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology, National Engineering Laboratory of Wheat Key Laboratory of Wheat Biology and Genetic Breeding in Central Huanghuai Area, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Nanyang Academy of Sciences, Nanyang 473000, China.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Apr 21;14(8):1262. doi: 10.3390/plants14081262.
Nickel (Ni) pollution poses significant threats to human health and crop development through the food chain. This study aimed to identify the novel genomic regions and superior alleles associated with Ni accumulation in wheat ( L.) grains using genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) with a diversity panel of 207 bread wheat varieties. In total, five unique genetic loci associated with Ni accumulation were identified and they explained, on average, 8.20-11.29% of the phenotypic variation. Among them, three unique genetic loci were mutually verified by different statistical models in at least two environments, indicating their stability across different environments. Moreover, the highest effect quantitative trait nucleotide (QTN) AX-111126872 with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) hotspot on chromosome 6B identified in this study was not reported previously. Three putative candidate genes linked to Ni accumulation were revealed from the stable genetic loci. Among them, one gene associated with the stable genetic locus on chromosome 6B (AX-111126872) encodes the () as a critical factor influencing Ni accumulation in wheat grains. This study increases our understanding of the genetic architecture of Ni accumulation in wheat grains, which is potentially helpful for breeding wheat varieties without Ni toxicity.
镍（Ni）污染通过食物链对人类健康和作物生长构成重大威胁。本研究旨在利用全基因组关联分析（GWAS），对207个面包小麦品种的多样性群体进行分析，以鉴定与小麦籽粒中镍积累相关的新基因组区域和优良等位基因。总共鉴定出5个与镍积累相关的独特遗传位点，它们平均解释了8.20 - 11.29%的表型变异。其中，3个独特遗传位点在至少两种环境中通过不同统计模型相互验证，表明它们在不同环境中的稳定性。此外，本研究中在6B染色体上鉴定出的具有数量性状位点（QTL）热点的最高效应数量性状核苷酸（QTN）AX - 111126872，此前未见报道。从稳定遗传位点中揭示了3个与镍积累相关的推定候选基因。其中，一个与6B染色体上稳定遗传位点（AX - 111126872）相关的基因编码（此处原文括号内容缺失），作为影响小麦籽粒中镍积累的关键因素。本研究增进了我们对小麦籽粒中镍积累遗传结构的理解，这可能有助于培育无镍毒性的小麦品种。
