Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
2.8
Journals
Genes
Special Issues
Marker-Trait Association Analysis in Horticultural Crops
share announcement

Marker-Trait Association Analysis in Horticultural Crops

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 10670

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mario Di Guardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Via Valdisavoia 5, 95123 Catania, Italy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world demand for horticultural crop is in continuous increase. Thus, to meet consumers’ expectations, novel cultivars showing enhanced agricultural traits (e.g., fruit quality, yield, resistance to biotic and abiotic stress) must be developed. To this extent, a deep understanding of the genetic basis regulating phenotypes of interest represents an important prerequisite both to understand the trait physiology and for breeding. The rapid advent of high-throughput genotyping platforms enabled the simultaneous interrogation of hundreds of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) employing a dedicated array or through whole-genome resequencing (WGS) approaches. This unprecedented source of genotypic variability can be linked to phenotypes of interest through marker-trait association analysis such as: genome-wide association study (GWAS), genome selection (GS), pedigree-based analysis (PBA), and bi-parental approaches. The identification of molecular markers in strong linkage with a quantitative trait locus (QTL) provides useful insights to understand the genetic determinism of traits of agronomical relevance. Furthermore, molecular markers can represent a valuable tool for breeders for a genetic-guided seedling or parental selection. Indeed, the use of molecular markers in strong linkage with an agronomical trait allows a fast and relatively inexpensive screening of seedlings with consequent reduction in the time and space needed to develop novel cultivars showing superior phenotypic characteristics.

Dr. Mario Di Guardo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genome-wide association analysis
  • QTL analysis
  • pedigree-based analysis
  • genome selection
  • quantitative-trait locus
  • single nucleotide polymorphism
  • marker-assisted selection
  • plant breeding
  • fruit quality
  • biotic/abiotic stress

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 2145 KiB  
Article
Functional Diversification of the Dihydroflavonol 4-Reductase from Camellia nitidissima Chi. in the Control of Polyphenol Biosynthesis
by Lina Jiang, Zhengqi Fan, Ran Tong, Xingwen Zhou, Jiyuan Li and Hengfu Yin
Genes 2020, 11(11), 1341; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11111341 - 12 Nov 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2748
Abstract
Plant secondary metabolism is complex in its diverse chemical composition and dynamic regulation of biosynthesis. How the functional diversification of enzymes contributes to the diversity is largely unknown. In the flavonoids pathway, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) is a key enzyme mediating dihydroflavanol into anthocyanins [...] Read more.
Plant secondary metabolism is complex in its diverse chemical composition and dynamic regulation of biosynthesis. How the functional diversification of enzymes contributes to the diversity is largely unknown. In the flavonoids pathway, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) is a key enzyme mediating dihydroflavanol into anthocyanins biosynthesis. Here, the DFR homolog was identified from Camellia nitidissima Chi. (CnDFR) which is a unique species of the genus Camellia with golden yellow petals. Sequence analysis showed that CnDFR possessed not only conserved catalytic domains, but also some amino acids peculiar to Camellia species. Gene expression analysis revealed that CnDFR was expressed in all tissues and the expression of CnDFR was positively correlated with polyphenols but negatively with yellow coloration. The subcellular localization of CnDFR by the tobacco infiltration assay showed a likely dual localization in the nucleus and cell membrane. Furthermore, overexpression transgenic lines were generated in tobacco to understand the molecular function of CnDFR. The analyses of metabolites suggested that ectopic expression of CnDFR enhanced the biosynthesis of polyphenols, while no accumulation of anthocyanins was detected. These results indicate a functional diversification of the reductase activities in Camellia plants and provide molecular insights into the regulation of floral color. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marker-Trait Association Analysis in Horticultural Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2675 KiB  
Article
Transcriptional Analysis of Carotenoids Accumulation and Metabolism in a Pink-Fleshed Lemon Mutant
by Giuseppe Lana, Jaime Zacarias-Garcia, Gaetano Distefano, Alessandra Gentile, María J. Rodrigo and Lorenzo Zacarias
Genes 2020, 11(11), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11111294 - 30 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3893
Abstract
Pink lemon is a spontaneous bud mutation of lemon (Citrus limon, L. Burm. f) characterized by the production of pink-fleshed fruits due to an unusual accumulation of lycopene. To elucidate the genetic determinism of the altered pigmentation, comparative carotenoid profiling and [...] Read more.
Pink lemon is a spontaneous bud mutation of lemon (Citrus limon, L. Burm. f) characterized by the production of pink-fleshed fruits due to an unusual accumulation of lycopene. To elucidate the genetic determinism of the altered pigmentation, comparative carotenoid profiling and transcriptional analysis of both the genes involved in carotenoid precursors and metabolism, and the proteins related to carotenoid-sequestering structures were performed in pink-fleshed lemon and its wild-type. The carotenoid profile of pink lemon pulp is characterized by an increased accumulation of linear carotenoids, such as lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene, from the early stages of development, reaching their maximum in mature green fruits. The distinctive phenotype of pink lemon is associated with an up-regulation and down-regulation of the genes upstream and downstream the lycopene cyclase, respectively. In particular, 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase genes were overexpressed in pink lemon compared with the wild-type, suggesting an altered regulation of abscisic acid biosynthesis. Similarly, during early development of the fruits, genes of the carotenoid-associated proteins heat shock protein 21, fibrillin 1 and 2 and orange gene were overexpressed in the pulp of the pink-fleshed lemon compared to the wild-type, indicating its increased capacity for sequestration, stabilization or accumulation of carotenes. Altogether, the results highlighted significant differences at the transcriptomic level between the pink-fleshed lemon and its wild-type, in terms of carotenoid metabolism and the capacity of stabilization in storage structures between the two accessions. Such changes may be either responsible for the altered carotenoid accumulation or in contrast, a metabolic consequence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marker-Trait Association Analysis in Horticultural Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 8650 KiB  
Article
Identification of QTLs Controlling α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity in Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Leaf and Fruit Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing Analysis
by Doie Park, Geleta Dugassa Barka, Eun-Young Yang, Myeong-Cheoul Cho, Jae Bok Yoon and Jundae Lee
Genes 2020, 11(10), 1116; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11101116 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3210
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus, a group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia, is one of the most serious and common diseases around the world and is associated with major complications such as diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular diseases. A widely used treatment for non-insulin-dependent diabetes [...] Read more.
Diabetes mellitus, a group of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia, is one of the most serious and common diseases around the world and is associated with major complications such as diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular diseases. A widely used treatment for non-insulin-dependent diabetes is α-glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) such as acarbose, which hinders hydrolytic cleavage of disaccharides and retard glucose absorption. The ability to inhibit α-glucosidase activity has been reported in leaf and fruit of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). In this study, we aimed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (AGI activity) in pepper leaf and fruit using enzyme assay and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. The AGI activity at three stages of leaf and one stage of fruit development was analyzed by 96 F2 individuals. GBS analysis identified 17,427 SNPs that were subjected to pepper genetic linkage map construction. The map, consisting of 763 SNPs, contained 12 linkage groups with a total genetic distance of 2379 cM. QTL analysis revealed seven QTLs (qAGI1.1, qAGI11.1, qAGI5.1, qAGI9.1, qAGI12.1, qAGI5.2, and qAGI12.2) controlling AGI activity in pepper leaf and fruit. The QTLs for AGI activity varied by plant age and organ. This QTL information is expected to provide a significant contribution to developing pepper varieties with high AGI activity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marker-Trait Association Analysis in Horticultural Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop