Rapid identification of candidate genes for resistance to tomato late blight disease using next-generation sequencing technologies

PLoS One. 2017 Dec 18;12(12):e0189951. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189951. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Tomato late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary, also known as the Irish famine pathogen, is one of the most destructive plant diseases. Wild relatives of tomato possess useful resistance genes against this disease, and could therefore be used in breeding to improve cultivated varieties. In the genome of a wild relative of tomato, Solanum habrochaites accession LA1777, we identified a new quantitative trait locus for resistance against blight caused by an aggressive Egyptian isolate of P. infestans. Using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq) technology, we determined 6,514 genome-wide SNP genotypes of an F2 population derived from an interspecific cross. Subsequent association analysis of genotypes and phenotypes of the mapping population revealed that a 6.8 Mb genome region on chromosome 6 was a candidate locus for disease resistance. Whole-genome resequencing analysis revealed that 298 genes in this region potentially had functional differences between the parental lines. Among of them, two genes with missense mutations, Solyc06g071810.1 and Solyc06g083640.3, were considered to be potential candidates for disease resistance. SNP and SSR markers linking to this region can be used in marker-assisted selection in future breeding programs for late blight disease, including introgression of new genetic loci from wild species. In addition, the approach developed in this study provides a model for identification of other genes for attractive agronomical traits.

MeSH terms

  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Plant
  • Crosses, Genetic
  • Disease Resistance / genetics*
  • Genes, Plant
  • Genetic Linkage
  • Genetic Markers
  • Genome, Plant
  • Genotype
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods*
  • Microsatellite Repeats
  • Mutation, Missense
  • Phenotype
  • Phytophthora infestans*
  • Plant Diseases / genetics*
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Quantitative Trait Loci
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Solanum lycopersicum / genetics*
  • Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology
  • Solanum tuberosum / genetics
  • Solanum tuberosum / microbiology

Substances

  • Genetic Markers

Grants and funding

The study was financially supported by The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR), Egypt (Grant# 2013/2014-547), and the Kazusa DNA Research Institute Foundation, Japan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.