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A thorough screening based on QTLs controlling zinc and copper accumulation in the grain of different wheat genotypes

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Abstract

Excess trace metals may cause damage to human health due to the consumption of food grain grown in contaminated soils. This study was designed to understand the genetic mechanisms of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) accumulation in wheat grain under stressed environments. The differences of Cu/Zn contents in the grain among 246 wheat varieties were analyzed, and the wheat varieties with low or high accumulation of Cu and Zn in the safe range were also screened out. The accumulation of Cu and Zn in grains of “Chushanbao” was lowest, which could be used as a novel germplasm for wheat breeding under heavy metal stress. We found that Cu contents of wheat grain were significantly and positively correlated with Zn. The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain Cu content (GCuC) and grain Zn content (GZnC) were detected by genome-wide association study (GWAS). Twenty-three loci affecting GCuC were identified on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4B 4D, 5A, 6D, 7A, and 7B, explaining 2.6–5.8% of the phenotypic variation. Sixteen loci associated with the GZnC on 11 different chromosomes 1B, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3D, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5D, 6B, and 7D were detected, which could explain 2.7~6.6% of phenotypic variance. We also determined five associated loci on chromosomes 2B, 2D, 3A, 4B, and 5A were in pleiotropic regions affecting both GCuC and GZnC. This study would help in better understanding the molecular basis of Cu/Zn accumulation in wheat grain, and the associated markers may be useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) breeding program.

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Funding

This research was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2016YFD08007003), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31871619, 31901180, 41571307), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2019M651845), Special Fund Project of Fundamental Scientific Research Funds for Central Universities of Nanjing Agricultural University (KYQN202061), and Jiangsu Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Fund (JASTIF) (CX (17) 3004) in China.

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Author notes

  1. Ying Liu and Yaru Chen contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource, National Joint Local Engineering Research Center for Rural Land Resources Use and Consolidation, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, People’s Republic of China

    Ying Liu, Yang Yang, Liang Shi & Yahua Chen

  2. Provincial Key Laboratory of Agrobiology, The Jiangsu Provincial Infrastructure for Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Germplasm, Institute of Germplasm Resources and Biotechnology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, People’s Republic of China

    Qiaofeng Zhang, Bisheng Fu, Jin Cai, Wei Guo & Jizhong Wu

Authors
  1. Ying Liu
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  2. Yaru Chen
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  3. Yang Yang
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  4. Qiaofeng Zhang
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  5. Bisheng Fu
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  6. Jin Cai
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  7. Wei Guo
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  8. Liang Shi
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  9. Jizhong Wu
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  10. Yahua Chen
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Contributions

Ying Liu and Yaru Chen analyzed the soil physical, chemical properties, and metal element contents in plant and soil samples. Yang Yang finished the part of genotyping. Qiaofeng Zhang found and arranged the pollution assessment standard. Bisheng Fu finished the statistical analysis. Jin Cai and Wei Guo planted and harvested wheat. Liang Shi and Jizhong Wu were the two major contributors in writing the manuscript. Yahua Chen provided the experimental programs and ideas. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Liang Shi or Jizhong Wu.

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Liu, Y., Chen, Y., Yang, Y. et al. A thorough screening based on QTLs controlling zinc and copper accumulation in the grain of different wheat genotypes. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 15043–15054 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11690-3

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