Zhao Wensha, Zheng Shusong, Zhang Aoyan, Yuan Meng, Song Pengbo, Song Kefeng, Li Yueyue, Xing Yuanhang, Zhao Huiling, Niu Jianqing, Wu Jianhui, Ling Hong-Qing, Sun Daojie, Ma Shengwei
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Theor Appl Genet. 2025 Aug 5;138(8):197. doi: 10.1007/s00122-025-04988-8.
The study identifies 314 wheat orthologs of rice grain weight-related genes, with multi-environment association analysis of 490 accessions uncovering 146 genes significantly linked to grain weight, offering potential targets for yield improvement. Grain weight is a key determinant of wheat yield. Dissection of more grain weight-related genes is crucial for improvement of wheat yield. Using homologous cloning method, a total of 104 rice grain weight-related genes was collected from published studies and their corresponding 314 orthologs were identified in wheat. Spatiotemporal expression analysis reveals that grain weight genes exhibit diverse expression profiles, with few showing grain-specific expression patterns. Approximately 36,000 variants in these grain weight-related genes were identified in a large natural wheat population. Candidate gene association analysis, using 490 common wheat accessions across five environments, reveals that 146 genes of them are significantly associated with grain weight. As a result of breeding practices, favorable alleles were significantly accumulated in modern wheat cultivars. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the genetic architecture of grain development and weight, offering potential targets for future wheat yield improvement.
该研究鉴定出314个水稻粒重相关基因的小麦直系同源基因，对490份材料进行多环境关联分析，发现146个基因与粒重显著相关，为产量提高提供了潜在靶点。粒重是小麦产量的关键决定因素。剖析更多粒重相关基因对提高小麦产量至关重要。利用同源克隆方法，从已发表的研究中总共收集了104个水稻粒重相关基因，并在小麦中鉴定出了它们相应的314个直系同源基因。时空表达分析表明，粒重基因表现出多样的表达模式，很少有基因呈现粒特异性表达模式。在一个大型天然小麦群体中，在这些粒重相关基因中鉴定出约36000个变异。利用490份普通小麦材料在五个环境下进行候选基因关联分析，发现其中146个基因与粒重显著相关。由于育种实践，有利等位基因在现代小麦品种中显著积累。这些发现有助于更好地理解籽粒发育和粒重的遗传结构，为未来小麦产量提高提供潜在靶点。
