Genetic Dissection of Isoleucine and Leucine Contents in the Embryo and Maternal Plant of Rapeseed Meal Under Different Environments
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
This study investigated the genetic basis of isoleucine and leucine content in rapeseed meal using two BC1F1 populations. Nine QTLs were identified on six linkage groups, explaining over 55% of phenotypic variation for both amino acids. Four major QTLs were found, each accounting for more than 10% of the variation. All QTLs showed significant additive and dominant effects on seed embryos, with one QTL also showing a maternal genome effect. Two QTL clusters affecting both amino acids were identified on linkage groups A4 and C2.
After reviewing the manuscript, I have identified several areas that require improvement:
- The manuscript is notably brief for a full-length article and would benefit from expansion in key sections.
- Line numbers should be added to facilitate precise feedback and referencing.
- Abbreviations are overused. All acronyms should be defined upon first use in both the abstract and main text.
- The introduction lacks clear objectives and hypotheses. It should also provide a more comprehensive explanation of the QTL mapping methods employed.
- The methods section needs clarification, particularly regarding the number of BC1F1 groups and the statistical analysis techniques used.
- The writing contains grammatical errors and overly complex sentences that impede comprehension. Simplifying the language would improve readability.
- QTL naming conventions should be applied consistently throughout the manuscript.
- Technical terms should be clearly defined when first introduced.
- The discussion would be strengthened by a more in-depth comparison with existing literature and a clearer presentation of the study's limitations and potential future research directions.
Addressing these issues will significantly enhance the manuscript's clarity, coherence, and overall quality.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Moderate editing of English language required.
Author Response
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#Point-by-point response to Comments and Suggestions for Reviewer 1 |
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Comments 1: The manuscript is notably brief for a full-length article and would benefit from expansion in key sections. Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. Therefore, we have done it according to your ideas. We have added nearly 800 words in key sections, for example, in the section of “3.3. QTL mapping analysis” (Page 5), “4. Discussion” (Page 9-10). |
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Comments 2: Line numbers should be added to facilitate precise feedback and referencing. Response 2: Agree. We have added Line numbers in the article for accurate feedback and reference. |
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Comments 3: Abbreviations are overused. All acronyms should be defined upon first use in both the abstract and main text. Response 3: Agree. We have added definitions for each acronym when it is first used in the article, such as “ QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus)” in Line 48 of Page 2, “DH(double haploid)” in Line 72 of Page 2, “TN (‘Tapidor’ and ‘Ningyou7′)” in Line 73 of Page 2, “SAS (Statistics Analysis System)” in Line 97 of Page 3, “RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), MS-RFLP (Microsatellite Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat), STS (Sequence Tagged Site), SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism), SSCP (Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism), AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) and CAPS (Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences)” in Line 104-109 of Page 3, and so on.
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Comments 4: The introduction lacks clear objectives and hypotheses. It should also provide a more comprehensive explanation of the QTL mapping methods employed. Response 4: Agree. We have provided the objectives and hypotheses in Line 61-69 of Page 2. Additionally, the comprehensive explanation of QTL mapping methods was provided at the part of “2.5. Linkage genetic map and QTL mapping” in Line 101-115 of Page 3, which were explained in detail in the in reference 12 (Wen, J.; Xu, J.F.; Long, Y.; Wu, J.G.; Xu, H.M.; Meng, J.L.; Shi, C.H. QTL mapping based on the embryo and maternal genetic systems for non-essential amino acids in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) meal. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2016, 96, 465-473.).
Comments 5: The methods section needs clarification, particularly regarding the number of BC1F1 groups and the statistical analysis techniques used. Response 5: Agree. We have provided the number of BC1F1 groups in Line 85 of Page 2. Additionally, the statistical analysis techniques used in our research were clarified in Line 89-100 of Page 2-3.
Comments 6: The writing contains grammatical errors and overly complex sentences that impede comprehension. Simplifying the language would improve readability. Response 6: Agree. We have simplified the language of the entire text for easier reading and comprehension. Please refer to the full text for details.
Comments 7: QTL naming conventions should be applied consistently throughout the manuscript. Response 7: Agree. We have made modifications and improvements to QTL naming conventions in the article, such as changing “qilec-4-2” to “qIlec-4-2” in Line 154 of Page 5, “qilec-7-4” to “qIlec-7-4” Line 157 of Page 5, “qleuc-1-1” to “qLeuc-1-1”in Line 157 of Page 5, “qleuc-4-2” to “qLeuc-4-2”in Line 157 of Page 5. In addition, we have made corresponding modifications on Page 8-10.
Comments 8: Technical terms should be clearly defined when first introduced. Response 8: Agree. We have accordingly defined the technical terms in the article, such as “QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus)” in Line 48 of Page 2, “DH(double haploid)” in Line 72 of Page 2, “SAS (Statistics Analysis System)” in Line 97 of Page 3.
Comments 9: The discussion would be strengthened by a more in-depth comparison with existing literature and a clearer presentation of the study's limitations and potential future research directions. Response 9: Agree. A more comprehensive comparative analysis with existing literature has been incorporated into the discussion in Line 230-304 of Page 9-10. |
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Thank you for your remarkable comments.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Dear Authors,
Reviewer comments agronomy-3223454
The manuscript entitled „Genetic dissection of isoleucine and leucine contents in the embryo and maternal plant of rapeseed meal under different environments“ represents a useful study aimed at mapping of QTLs and identification of associated molecular markers determining quantitative isoleucine and leucine contents in a set of 202 double haploid rapeseed lines derived from a Tapidor × Ningyou7 cross. The researchers have mapped a total of twelve QTLs including nine QTLs controlling izoleucine content and three QTLs controlling leucine contents, respectively, and identified QTLs-associated molecular markers which may be useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding. I can recommend the manuscript for publication in Agronomy.
However, I have a few important comments on the present manuscript which are provdied below:
1/ In Materials and methods, part 2.1. materials, the sources of both parental rapeseed cultivars, i.e., Tapidor and Ningyou7 used for the DH lines construction have to eb specified.
2/ In Results, Table 2 contains just one important number providing a correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents. I recommend the authors to remove Table 2 and replace it just by one statement: „The Pearson correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents in rapeseed meal equals 0.963 which indicates a significant correlation between isoleucine and leucine contents.“¨
3/ Formal comments on the text related to English language and style:
Introduction, line 1: Add the plant scientific name following the common name, i.e., „Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is not only an important oil crop…“
Materials and methods, part 2.1 Materials, line 3: Replace the word „higher“ with either „enhanced“ or „increased“ in the statement „Among them, the father-parent Ningyou7 is a Chinese semi-winter variety with the characteristics of increased sulfur glycoside, erucic acid content, and yield.“
Results, part 3.1., page 3, line 7: Replace the word „less“ with „lower“ in the statement: „The absolute values of skewness and kurtosis were lower than 1…“
Final recommendation: Accept after a minor revision.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Dear Authors,
Reviewer comments agronomy-3223454
The manuscript entitled „Genetic dissection of isoleucine and leucine contents in the embryo and maternal plant of rapeseed meal under different environments“ represents a useful study aimed at mapping of QTLs and identification of associated molecular markers determining quantitative isoleucine and leucine contents in a set of 202 double haploid rapeseed lines derived from a Tapidor × Ningyou7 cross. The researchers have mapped a total of twelve QTLs including nine QTLs controlling izoleucine content and three QTLs controlling leucine contents, respectively, and identified QTLs-associated molecular markers which may be useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding. I can recommend the manuscript for publication in Agronomy.
However, I have a few important comments on the present manuscript which are provdied below:
1/ In Materials and methods, part 2.1. materials, the sources of both parental rapeseed cultivars, i.e., Tapidor and Ningyou7 used for the DH lines construction have to eb specified.
2/ In Results, Table 2 contains just one important number providing a correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents. I recommend the authors to remove Table 2 and replace it just by one statement: „The Pearson correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents in rapeseed meal equals 0.963 which indicates a significant correlation between isoleucine and leucine contents.“¨
3/ Formal comments on the text related to English language and style:
Introduction, line 1: Add the plant scientific name following the common name, i.e., „Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is not only an important oil crop…“
Materials and methods, part 2.1 Materials, line 3: Replace the word „higher“ with either „enhanced“ or „increased“ in the statement „Among them, the father-parent Ningyou7 is a Chinese semi-winter variety with the characteristics of increased sulfur glycoside, erucic acid content, and yield.“
Results, part 3.1., page 3, line 7: Replace the word „less“ with „lower“ in the statement: „The absolute values of skewness and kurtosis were lower than 1…“
Final recommendation: Accept after a minor revision.
Author Response
# Point-by-point response to Comments and Suggestions for Reviewer 2
Comments 1: In Materials and methods, part 2.1. materials, the sources of both parental rapeseed cultivars, i.e., Tapidor and Ningyou7 used for the DH lines construction have to eb specified.
Response 1: Agree. As detailed in Article Line 77-79 of Page 2, two parental strains (Tapidor and Ningyou7) and 202 DH populations were generously provided by Professor Meng Jinling's laboratory at Huazhong Agricultural University.
Comments 2: In Results, Table 2 contains just one important number providing a correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents. I recommend the authors to remove Table 2 and replace it just by one statement: „The Pearson correlation coefficient between isoleucine and leucine contents in rapeseed meal equals 0.963 which indicates a significant correlation between isoleucine and leucine contents. “
Response 2: Agree. We have removed Table 2 and replace it just by one statement in Article Line 144-149 of Page 5.
Comments 3: Formal comments on the text related to English language and style:
Introduction, line 1: Add the plant scientific name following the common name, i.e., “Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is not only an important oil crop…“
Materials and methods, part 2.1 Materials, line 3: Replace the word “higher” with either “enhanced“ or “increased“ in the statement “Among them, the father-parent Ningyou7 is a Chinese semi-winter variety with the characteristics of increased sulfur glycoside, erucic acid content, and yield.“
Results, part 3.1., page 3, line 7: Replace the word “less” with “lower” in the statement: “The absolute values of skewness and kurtosis were lower than 1…”
Response 3: Agree. We have modified a lot of English language and style in the Article Line 37 of Page 1, Line 75 of Page 2, and Line 128 of Page 3.
Thank you for your helpful comments.
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
The authors diligently revised the manuscript in response to the reviewers' comments.
I recommend this manuscript for publication in its current form.
Congratulations on the excellent work!
