Identification of QTL underlying isoflavone contents in soybean seeds among multiple environments

Abstract

Soybean isoflavones are valued in certain medicines, cosmetics, foods and feeds. Selection for high-isoflavone content in seeds along with agronomic traits is a goal of many soybean breeders. The aim of the study was to identify the quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying seed isoflavone content in soybean among seven environments in China. A cross was made between 'Zhongdou 27', a soybean cultivar with higher mean isoflavone content in the seven environments (daidzein, DZ, 1,865 microg g(-1); genistein, GT, 1,614 microg g(-1); glycitein, GC, 311 microg g(-1) and total isoflavone, TI, 3,791 microg g(-1)) and 'Jiunong 20', a soybean cultivar with lower isoflavone content (DZ, 844 microg g(-1); GT, 1,046 microg g(-1); GC, 193 microg g(-1) and TI, 2,061 microg g(-1)). Through single-seed-descent, 130 F(5)-derived F(6) recombinant inbred lines were advanced. A total of 99 simple-sequence repeat markers were used to construct a genetic linkage map. Seed isoflavone contents were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography for multiple years and locations (Harbin in 2005, 2006 and 2007, Hulan in 2006 and 2007, and Suihua in 2006 and 2007). Three QTL were associated with DZ content, four with GT content, three with GC content, and five with TI content. For all QTL detected the beneficial allele was from Zhongdou 27. QTL were located on three (DZ), three (GC), four (GT) and five (TI) molecular linkage groups (LG). A novel QTL was detected with marker Satt144 on LG F that was associated with DZ (0.0014 > P > 0.0001, 5% < R (2) < 11%; 254 < DZ < 552 microg g(-1)), GT (0.0027 > P > 0.0001; 4% < R (2) < 9%; 262 < GT < 391 microg g(-1)), and TI (0.0011 > P > 0.0001; 4% < R (2) < 15%; 195 < TI < 871 microg g(-1)) across the various environments. A previously reported QTL on LG M detected by Satt540 was associated with TI across four environments and TI mean (0.0022 > P > 0.0001; 3% < R (2) < 8%; 182 < TI < 334 microg g(-1)) in China. Because both beneficial alleles were from Zhongdou 27, it was concluded that these two QTL would have the greatest potential value for marker-assisted selection for high-isoflavone content in soybean seed in China.

Transgressive segregation of isoflavone contents under the control of four QTLs in a cross between distantly related soybean varieties

“…Previous reports (Meksem et al 2001, Kassem et al 2004, Primomo et al 2005, Kassem et al 2006, Zeng et al 2009) have identified QTLs that control the content of daidzein derivatives on linkage groups (LG, hereafter) A1, F, H, I, K, M and N. QTLs controlling the content of genistein derivatives have been identified on LG-A2, C2, F, G, H and M. QTLs controlling the content of glycitein derivatives have been identified on LG-B1, D1a, F, G, H, I, J, M, N and O. In addition, several QTLs that regulate the total isoflavone content as well as the content of all isoflavone groups have been identified.…”

Additional Quantitative Trait Loci and Candidate Genes for Seed Isoflavone Content in Soybean

“…The control of isoflavone content in soybean seeds is largely genetic rather than the environmental interactions (Gutierrez-Gonzalez et al, 2009;Hoeck, Fehr, Murphy, & Welke, 2000;Murphy et al, 2009), and several minor effects QTL have been found which determined amounts of isoflavonein soybean. Numerous studies have shown soybean isoflavones to be a quantitatively inherited trait (Kassem et al, 2004;Meksem et al, 2001;Kassem et al, 2006;Zeng et al, 2009). Identification and mapping isoflavones QTL could offer breeders improving the level of isoflavones in soybean through marker assisted selection (MAS).…”

“…Another high density genetic linkage maps was constructed using the 1,536 Universal Soy Linkage Panel 1.0 SNP markers in the 'PI 438489B' by 'Hamilton' populations and 31 linkage groups were obtained and used in this study . Up to date several isoflavones QTL were identified from the linkage map constructed by different markers (Kassem et al, 2004;Gutierrez-Gonzalez et al, 2009;Zeng et al, 2009;Gutierrez-Gonzalez et al, 2010). SNP markers allow the anchoring of genetic maps and QTL on the soybean genome sequence so identifying large genomic regions each containing several hundred genes.…”

Quantitative trait locus analysis of leaf morphological characters, yield-related traits, and secondary metabolite contents in Eucommia ulmoides

“…Furthermore, highly significant positive correlations were found between chlorogenic acid and rutin (Table 2). Previous QTL studies on main crops have frequently detected regions of the genome that contain clusters of QTLs for highly correlative traits (Zeng et al, 2009;Avia et al, 2013;Bian et al, 2013). Clusters of QTLs were also observed for growth traits and various leaf traits in poplar (Bradshaw and Stettler, 1995;Wu et al, 1997), for wood properties and growth traits in the genus Eucalyptus (Verhaegen et al, 1997;Freeman et al, 2009;Thumma et al, 2010), for growth traits in Salix (Tsarouhas et al, 2002;Ronnberg-Wastljung et al, 2005), for leaf morphological characters in European beech (Scalfi et al, 2004) and oak (Gailing, 2008;Gailing et al, 2013), and for chemical compositions in peach (Eduardo et al, 2013) and oil palm (Montoya et al, 2013).…”