Association Mapping Reveals Genetic Loci Associated with Important Agronomic Traits in Lentinula edodes, Shiitake Mushroom

Author: mycolabadmin
2017-02-17
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Summary

This research examined the genetic makeup of shiitake mushrooms to help improve mushroom breeding programs. The scientists identified specific genetic markers associated with important mushroom characteristics like size, shape and growth rate. This knowledge can help mushroom farmers develop better varieties more efficiently. Impacts on everyday life: – Better mushroom varieties with improved size, shape and growth characteristics – More efficient mushroom production leading to potentially lower costs – Enhanced ability to develop mushrooms with specific desired traits – Improved understanding of mushroom genetics to support sustainable agriculture – Potential for developing new medicinal mushroom varieties with enhanced health benefits

Background

Mushrooms have been consumed for their nutritional and medicinal values for millennia. Lentinula edodes (shiitake) is the second most widely produced mushroom globally after Agaricus bisporus. Understanding the genetic basis of important agronomic traits is essential for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. Association mapping based on linkage disequilibrium is becoming a powerful strategy for dissecting complex traits in plants.

Objective

This study aimed to examine the genetic diversity, population structure and genetic loci associated with 11 agronomic traits in Chinese L. edodes cultivars by genotyping 297 genome-wide molecular markers across 89 cultivars. The goals were to evaluate phenotypic and genotypic diversities, investigate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with important traits, and mine candidate genes associated with these traits.

Results

A total of 873 alleles were detected with a mean of 2.939 alleles per locus. Population structure analysis revealed two distinct groups among Chinese L. edodes cultivars. Using mixed linear model analysis, 43 markers were found to be significantly associated with four traits, with phenotypic variations explained by each marker ranging from 12.07% to 31.32%. Five markers were verified by previous studies and another five were detected in both years of testing. The 43 trait-associated markers were related to 97 genes, with 24 of them related to markers detected in both years or identified previously.

Conclusion

The study demonstrated the feasibility of association mapping for identifying genetic loci controlling important agronomic traits in shiitake mushroom. The identified marker-trait associations provide valuable information for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs. The narrow genetic base observed in Chinese shiitake cultivars suggests the need to introduce wild strains to diversify the genetic basis of cultivars.

Published in:Frontiers in Microbiology,
Study Type:Association Mapping Study,
Source: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00237