Conserved noncoding genomic sequences associated with a flowering-time quantitative trait locus in maize.
Flowering time is a fundamental trait of maize adaptation to different agricultural environments. Although a large body of information is available on the map position of quantitative trait loci for flowering time, little is known about the molecular basis of quantitative trait loci. Through positional cloning and association mapping, we resolved the major flowering-time quantitative trait locus, Vegetative to generative transition 1 (Vgt1), to an approximately 2-kb noncoding region positioned 70 kb upstream of an Ap2-like transcription factor that we have shown to be involved in flowering-time control. Vgt1 functions as a cis-acting regulatory element as indicated by the correlation of the Vgt1 alleles with the transcript expression levels of the downstream gene. Additionally, within Vgt1, we identified evolutionarily conserved noncoding sequences across the maize-sorghum-rice lineages. Our results support the notion that changes in distant cis-acting regulatory regions are a key component of plant genetic adaptation throughout breeding and evolution.
Salvi
Silvio
S
Department of Agroenvironmental Science and Technology, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin, 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy. silvio.salvi@unibo.it
Sponza
Giorgio
G
Morgante
Michele
M
Tomes
Dwight
D
Niu
Xiaomu
X
Fengler
Kevin A
KA
Meeley
Robert
R
Ananiev
Evgueni V
EV
Svitashev
Sergei
S
Bruggemann
Edward
E
Li
Bailin
B
Hainey
Christine F
CF
Radovic
Slobodanka
S
Zaina
Giusi
G
Rafalski
J-Antoni
JA
Tingey
Scott V
SV
Miao
Guo-Hua
GH
Phillips
Ronald L
RL
Tuberosa
Roberto
R
D001483:Base Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D035263:Flowering Tops / Q000235:genetics*; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D045868:Sorghum / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics*
D021901:DNA, Intergenic