ARS | Publication request: QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCUS ANALYSIS AND METABOLIC PATHWAYS

Submitted to: Maize Genetics Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: February 15, 2003
Publication Date: March 15, 2003
Citation: Mcmullen, M.D. 2003. Quantitative trait locus analysis and metabolic pathways [abstract]. Maize Genetics Conference.

Technical Abstract: The development of molecular markers for crop plants has enabled research on the genetic basis of quantitative traits. However, despite more than a decade of these studies, called quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses, the molecular basis for variation in most agronomic traits is still largely unknown. Our research group has addressed this deficiency by using QTL analysis to study the role of specific genes in the flavone pathway in controlling resistance to the corn earworm in maize silks. Our results indicate: 1) The importance of transcription factors as genes underlying QTL. 2) The importance of the interconnections of biochemical pathways and substrate flow in understanding QTL effects. 3) The importance and biological bases of epistasis for QTL. For details see Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 1998. 95:1966-2000; Genome 2001. 44:667-676; Crop Sci. 2002. 42:1669-1678 & 1679-1687.