Identification of quantitative trait loci governing biosynthesis of phospholipids in soybean

Abstract

Context Soybeans (Glycine max. (L.) Merr.) are a major source of phospholipids, which are vital to human and animal nutrition, as well having many pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is a prerequisite for the development of high-phospholipid soybean genotypes through marker-assisted breeding. Aims We aimed to identify QTLs associated with biosynthesis of four phospholipids in soybean. Methods We developed two F2 populations comprising 233 and 254 plants, respectively, from two crosses (JS20-34 × AVKS215 and JS20-98 × AVKS215), and used 208 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers found common to both F2 populations for linkage map construction. QTLs associated with four phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidic acid (PA), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), were analysed via inclusive composite interval mapping of additive QTLs using QTL IciMapping software. Key results In the respective F2 populations, we identified seven and six QTLs for PE, seven and nine QTLs for PA, and nine and eight QTLs for PC. Six QTLs were associated with PI in each population. Five QTLs for each of PA and PC, three QTLs for PE, and four QTLs for PI were found common to both F2 populations. Conclusions The results showed that some genomic regions such as Sat_341–Satt331 on chromosome 10, and Satt325–Sat_387 and Sat_229–Satt510 on chromosome 13, were associated with all four phospholipids in both F2 populations. QTLs associated with phospholipids were also found to be annotated with genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis. Implications The QTLs identified may be useful in marker-assisted breeding for the development of soybean genotypes with high levels of phospholipids of interest and for identifying functional genes involved in phospholipid biosynthesis.