Identification of glutathione transferase gene associated with partial resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot of soybean using genome-wide association and linkage mapping

• Published in: Theoretical and applied genetics Vol. 134; no. 8; pp. 2699 - 2709
• Main Authors: Jianan, Zou, Li, Wenjing, Zhang, Yuting, Song, Wei, Jiang, Haipeng, Zhao, Jingyun, Zhan, Yuhang, Teng, Weili, Qiu, Lijuan, Zhao, Xue, Han, Yingpeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Ascomycota - physiology; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Chromosome Mapping - methods; Chromosomes, Plant - genetics; Cloning; Cultivars; Disease Resistance - genetics; Disease Resistance - immunology; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene mapping; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic engineering; Genome, Plant; Genome-wide association studies; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genomes; Genomics; Glutathione transferase; Glutathione Transferase - genetics; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; Glycine max; Glycine max - genetics; Glycine max - growth & development; Glycine max - microbiology; Life Sciences; Linkage Disequilibrium; Original Article; Plant Biochemistry; Plant breeding; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Diseases - genetics; Plant Diseases - immunology; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Population; Quantitative genetics; Quantitative trait loci; Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; Seedlings; Single nucleotide polymorphisms; Single-nucleotide polymorphism; Soybean; Soybeans; Stem rot; Stems; China
• ISSN: 0040-5752; 1432-2242
• DOI: 10.1007/s00122-021-03855-6

Key message Association and linkage mapping techniques were used to identify and verify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance. A novel resistant gene, GmGST , was cloned and shown to be involved in soybean resistance to SSR. Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , is one of the most devastating diseases in soybean ( Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.) However, the genetic architecture underlying soybean resistance to SSR is poorly understood, despite several mapping and gene mining studies. In the present study, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) involved in the resistance to S. sclerotiorum was conducted in two segregating populations: an association population that consisted of 261 diverse soybean germplasms, and the MH population, derived from a cross between a partially resistant cultivar (Maple arrow) and a susceptible cultivar (Hefeng25). Three and five genomic regions affecting resistance were detected by genome-wide association study to control the lesion length of stems (LLS) and the death rate of seedling (DRS), respectively. Four QTLs were detected to underlie LLS, and one QTL controlled DRS after SSR infection. A major locus on chromosome (Chr.) 13 (qDRS13-1), which affected both DRS and LLS, was detected in both the natural population and the MH population. GmGST , encoding a glutathione S-transferase, was cloned as a candidate gene in qDRS13-1. GmGST was upregulated by the induction of the partially resistant cultivar Maple arrow. Transgenic experiments showed that the overexpression of GmGST in soybean increased resistance to S. sclerotiorum and the content of soluble pigment in stems of soybean. The results increase our understanding of the genetic architecture of soybean resistance to SSR and provide a framework for the future marker-assisted breeding of resistant soybean cultivars.