Identification of QTLs and critical genes related to sugarcane mosaic disease resistance

Guilong Lu; Zhoutao Wang; Yong-Bao Pan; Qibin Wu; Wei Cheng; Fu Xu; Shunbin Dai; Boyu Li; Youxiong Que; Liping Xu

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1107314

Identification of QTLs and critical genes related to sugarcane mosaic disease resistance

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Feb 2:14:1107314. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1107314. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Guilong Lu^{1

2}, Zhoutao Wang¹, Yong-Bao Pan³, Qibin Wu¹, Wei Cheng¹, Fu Xu¹, Shunbin Dai¹, Boyu Li¹, Youxiong Que¹, Liping Xu¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
² Institute of Vegetables, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa, China.
³ USDA-ARS, Sugarcane Research Unit, Houma, LA, United States.

Abstract

Mosaic viral diseases affect sugarcane productivity worldwide. Mining disease resistance-associated molecular markers or genes is a key component of disease resistance breeding programs. In the present study, 285 F₁ progeny were produced from a cross between Yuetang 93-159, a moderately resistant variety, and ROC22, a highly susceptible variety. The mosaic disease symptoms of these progenies, with ROC22 as the control, were surveyed by natural infection under 11 different environmental conditions in the field and by artificial infections with a mixed sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) inoculum. Analysis of consolidated survey data enabled the identification of 29 immune, 55 highly resistant, 70 moderately resistant, 62 susceptible, and 40 highly susceptible progenies. The disease response data and a high-quality SNP genetic map were used in quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. The results showed that the correlation coefficients (0.26~0.91) between mosaic disease resistance and test environments were significant (p< 0.001), and that mosaic disease resistance was a highly heritable quantitative trait (H² = 0.85). Seven mosaic resistance QTLs were located to the SNP genetic map, each QTL accounted for 3.57% ~ 17.10% of the phenotypic variation explained (PVE). Furthermore, 110 pathogen response genes and 69 transcription factors were identified in the QTLs interval. The expression levels of nine genes (Soffic.07G0015370-1P, Soffic.09G0015410-2T, Soffic.09G0016460-1T, Soffic.09G0016460-1P, Soffic.09G0017080-3C, Soffic.09G0018730-3P, Soffic.09G0018730-3C, Soffic.09G0019920-3C and Soffic.03G0019710-2C) were significantly different between resistant and susceptible progenies, indicating their key roles in sugarcane resistance to SCMV and SrMV infection. The seven QTLs and nine genes can provide a certain scientific reference to help sugarcane breeders develop varieties resistant to mosaic diseases.

Keywords: QTL mapping; expression profiles; gene mining; sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids); sugarcane mosaic disease.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA [CARS-17]; Special Projects for the Central-guided Local Science and Technology Development (2022L3086); Special Fund for Science and Technology Innovation, FAFU (KFA20083A); and a Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement between the USDA-ARS and NRDCSIT on Sugarcane Breeding, Varietal Development, and Disease Diagnosis, China (Accession Number: 428234).