Association analysis and molecular tagging of phytochemicals in the endangered medicinal plant licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

Marjan Sadat Hosseini; Morteza Ebrahimi; Davood Samsampour; Javier Abadía; Morteza Khanahmadi; Rasool Amirian; Iman Naseh Ghafoori; Mostafa Ghaderi-Zefrehei; Yolanda Gogorcena

doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112629

Association analysis and molecular tagging of phytochemicals in the endangered medicinal plant licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

Phytochemistry. 2021 Mar:183:112629. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112629. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Authors

Marjan Sadat Hosseini¹, Morteza Ebrahimi², Davood Samsampour³, Javier Abadía⁴, Morteza Khanahmadi⁵, Rasool Amirian⁶, Iman Naseh Ghafoori⁷, Mostafa Ghaderi-Zefrehei⁸, Yolanda Gogorcena⁹

Affiliations

¹ Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran; Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, P.O.Box, 3995, Bandar Abbas, Iran. Electronic address: m.hosseini79@ut.ac.ir.
² Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: m.ebrahimi@abrii.ac.ir.
³ Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, P.O.Box, 3995, Bandar Abbas, Iran. Electronic address: samsampoor@hormozgan.ac.ir.
⁴ Department of Plant Nutrition, Aula Dei Experimental Station (CSIC), P.O. Box 13034, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: jabadia@eead.csic.es.
⁵ Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: khanahmadi@abrii.ac.ir.
⁶ Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: amirian@abrii.ac.ir.
⁷ Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: ighafoori@ut.ac.ir.
⁸ Department of Genetic and Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Yasouj University, P.O. Box 75918-74831, Yasouj, Iran. Electronic address: mghaderi@yu.ac.ir.
⁹ Department of Pomology, Aula Dei Experimental Station (CSIC), P.O. Box 13034, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: aoiz@eead.csic.es.

PMID: 33516043
DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112629

Abstract

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a medicinal plant species valued in many countries in Asia and Europe for its phytochemical characteristics. Licorice biodiversity is becoming threatened nowadays in Iran due to increasing demand and a drastic decline of its natural habitats. Therefore, licorice domestication would be necessary in the near future, and molecular breeding would help to introduce genotypes suitable for cultivation. The present study was carried out with 170 individual licorice plants sampled in the wild in 59 localizations in 21 provinces of Iran. The association of 436 polymorphic AFLP markers, produced by 15 primer combinations (EcoRI/MseI), with six phenotypic phytochemical traits was studied. The AMOVA analysis show gene diversity among and within localizations. The population structure analysis identified two main sub-populations with significant genetic variation. Significant associations were identified between three markers (E3/M40-4, E34/M4-12 and E12/M31-15) and glycyrrhizin concentration, and between four markers (E11/M34-12, E11/M34-15, E9/M7-29, and E9/M7-30) and phenolic compounds contents. Markers detected can be useful in the domestication of licorice as well as in breeding programs. Licorice sampled in four localizations (KBA1, KBA2, SKh2 and Fa1) were found to be superior in terms of glycyrrhizin and antioxidants content, and therefore they can be considered as elite genotypes which could be included in the domestication process.

Keywords: Genetic diversity; Glycyrrhiza glabra; Glycyrrhizin; Leguminosae; Licorice; Linkage disequilibrium mapping; Mixed linear model; Phenolic compounds; Population structure.

MeSH terms

Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis
Asia
Europe
Glycyrrhiza* / genetics
Iran
Phytochemicals
Plant Breeding
Plants, Medicinal*

Substances

Phytochemicals