Research Initiation Award: Multi-locus Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Expression Analysis of Anticancer Peptide Lunasin in Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) Seeds

研究启动奖为历史上黑人学院和大学的初级和中级职业教师提供支持，他们正在建立新的研究项目或重新定向和重建现有的研究项目。预计该奖项将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善家庭机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。授予费耶特维尔州立大学的奖项为提高该机构的遗传和基因组能力提供了机会。将研究大豆中的生物活性分子。 学生将接受培训，以获得实地研究，生物信息学，计算机编程，基因组学和蛋白质组学方面的经验，并接受使用最先进设备的培训。梅尔。]种子含有多种具有潜在健康益处的植物化学物质。作为大豆种子中的生物活性分子之一，lunasin在动物和体外试验中显示出显着的癌症预防特性，抗氧化剂和降胆固醇作用。然而，据我们所知，大豆中lunasin遗传的遗传基础和用于lunasin生产的候选基因尚未进行遗传学研究。这项研究的目的是：（1）使用多基因座全基因组关联研究（GWAS）方法鉴定大豆种质收集物中lunasin含量的遗传变体，包括数量性状核苷酸（QTN）及其相关的单核苷酸多态性（SNP）标记，（2）从作图组中选择具有高且稳定的lunasin含量的优良品系用于大豆性状改良，（3）分析候选基因表达以验证QTN在大豆植物中用于lunasin生产。与lunasin含量相关的QTNs和SNP标记的信息将用于分子育种计划，以产生具有更好种子质量和癌症预防的优良大豆品种。拟议研究的结果将填补先进的临床治疗成功与缺乏lunasin遗传基因信息之间的差距。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improve research and teaching at the home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The award to Fayetteville State University provides an opportunity to enhance genetic and genomic capabilities at the institution. Bioactive molecules in soybeans will be studied. Students will be trained to gain experience in field research, bioinformatics, computer programming, genomics, and proteomics and receive training in the use of state-of-the art equipment.Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds contain a variety of phytochemicals that have potential health benefits. As one of the bioactive molecules in soybean seeds, lunasin has shown remarkable cancer–preventive properties, antioxidant, and hypocholesterolemic effects in animal and in vitro trials. However, the genetic bases of lunasin inheritance and candidate genes for lunasin production in soybean have not been investigated genetically to the best of our knowledge. This research is aimed at: (1) identify genetic variants including quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) and their associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for lunasin contents in the soybean germplasm collection using multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach, (2) select elite lines from the mapping panel with high and stable lunasin contents for soybean trait improvement, (3) analyze candidate gene expression to validate QTNs for lunasin productions in soybean plants. The information of QTNs and SNP markers associated with lunasin contents will be used in molecular breeding programs to produce elite soybean cultivars with better seed quality and cancer prevention. The findings of the proposed studies will seal the gap between advanced clinical therapeutic success and lack of genetic information for lunasin inheritance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.