Discovery of Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes for Awn Length Using QTL-seq in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Discovery of Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes for Awn Length Using QTL-seq in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Rice domestication has led to cultivated rice with no or short awns. Discovery of novel genes associated to awn lengthis of paramount importance for understanding the molecular mechanisms for the transformation of wild rice long awns to awnlesscultivated rice. In this study, we employed Next-Generation Sequencing based QTL-seq approach to identify genomic regionsassociated with awn length using mapping population derived from a cross between awnless Tun Sart and awned Sobaekmangsudo. QTL-seq analysis identified two awn length QTLs viz. qAwn-4 (12.8-20.3 Mb) and qAwn-8 (22.3-27.2 Mb) on chromosome 4 and 8,respectively. Based on the sequence comparison between the two parents, Os04g0350700 (bHLH transcription factor) was postulatedto be the candidate of Awn-4 gene. Further discovery of the novel genes in qAwn-8 interval will provide insights into the geneticarchitecture of awn length.