Functional Analysis of Selected Genes in Maize

玉米选定基因的功能分析

• 批准号: 1025869
• 负责人: John Doebley
• 金额: $ 69.08万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1025869&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Functional; Analysis; Selected; Genes; Maize

PI: John F. Doebley (University of Wisconsin - Madison)Collaborator: David M. Wills (University of Wisconsin - Madison)Crop plants are the products of selective breeding, a process whereby plant breeders select for gene variants that confer useful traits and against variants that confer detrimental traits. Generally, hundreds of genes have been the targets of selective breeding in a single crop species. Over the last decade, approximately 80 genes have been specifically identified as targets of breeding during the domestication and improvement of maize. It is not clear why variants of these maize genes were particularly favored by selective breeding, in part because it is not known what favorable traits are affected by the gene variants. Identifying the specific traits influenced by a gene variant is important to understanding how maize has been able to adapt so widely to diverse conditions across the globe. Further, this information increases the potential for further adaptive selection, a process likely needed in the future as climate change demands new growth strategies in crops. This project addresses the problem of identifying why and how variants have been selected in maize using three approaches. First, differences in gene expression, a form of gene activity, will be examined in selected and unselected variants for each of the 80 maize genes. The results will indicate whether selection favored variants with higher or lower levels of gene expression. Second, four of the selected maize genes will be analyzed in detail to determine which characteristics they control, focusing on agronomic traits related to yield, harvest and adaptation to the environment. Third, mutations in the four selected genes will be identified and the mutants studied genetically to understand gene function.These studies should provide genetic explanations for how maize has become one of the most productive agricultural crops worldwide. Understanding how genetic diversity generates agronomic diversity is necessary to improve the agricultural performance of maize in a changing world. Maize is also an excellent model crop for training students and future breeders in understanding the processes of evolution, genetics, and agriculture. Undergraduate students will be mentored in maize diversity research as part of the Integrated Biological Sciences Summer Research Program (IBS-SRP) at the University of Wisconsin. The IBS-SRP provides research opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds, thus providing an introduction to scientific research that may not be otherwise available. Data generated by the project will be available at the project website (www.panzea.org) and the Maize Genetics Database at www.maizegdb.org. All seed stocks developed by the project will be available via the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center at http://maizecoop.cropsci.uiuc.edu.

PI：John F. Doebley（威斯康星州-麦迪逊大学）合作者：大卫M。威尔斯（威斯康星州-麦迪逊大学）作物是选择性育种的产物，这是一个植物育种者选择赋予有用性状的基因变异和赋予有害性状的变异的过程。一般来说，数百个基因已经成为单一作物物种选择育种的目标。 在过去的十年中，在玉米的驯化和改良过程中，大约有80个基因被特别确定为育种目标。目前尚不清楚为什么这些玉米基因的变体特别受到选择性育种的青睐，部分原因是不知道基因变体会影响哪些有利性状。确定受基因变异影响的特定性状对于理解玉米如何能够如此广泛地适应地球仪的不同条件非常重要。此外，这些信息增加了进一步适应性选择的潜力，这一过程可能在未来需要气候变化需要新的作物生长策略。该项目解决的问题，确定为什么和如何变异已选择在玉米中使用三种方法。首先，基因表达的差异，一种形式的基因活性，将在80个玉米基因中的每一个的选择和重复变异中进行检查。结果将表明选择是否有利于具有较高或较低基因表达水平的变体。其次，将详细分析四个选定的玉米基因，以确定它们控制哪些特性，重点是与产量，收获和适应环境有关的农艺性状。第三，将确定四个选定基因的突变，并对突变体进行遗传学研究，以了解基因功能。这些研究将为玉米如何成为世界上产量最高的农作物之一提供遗传学解释。了解遗传多样性如何产生农艺多样性，对于在不断变化的世界中提高玉米的农业表现是必要的。玉米也是培养学生和未来育种者了解进化、遗传和农业过程的极好模式作物。作为威斯康星州大学综合生物科学夏季研究计划（IBS-SRP）的一部分，本科生将接受玉米多样性研究的指导。IBS-SRP为来自不同背景的学生提供研究机会，从而提供了可能无法以其他方式获得的科学研究介绍。该项目产生的数据将在项目网站（www.panzea.org）和玉米遗传数据库（www.maizegdb.org）上提供。该项目开发的所有种子库将通过玉米遗传合作库存中心（http://maizecoop.cropsci.uiuc.edu）提供。