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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #317808
Title: Identification and fine mapping of a soybean seed protein QTL from PI 407788A on Chromosome 15

Author
item KIM, MYUNGSIK - National Institute Of Crop Science - Korea
item SCHULTZ, SARAH - University Of Illinois
item Nelson, Randall
item DIERS, BRIAN - University Of Illinois

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2015
Publication Date: 11/25/2015
Citation: Kim, M., Schultz, S., Nelson, R.L., Diers, B. 2015. Identification and fine mapping of a soybean seed protein QTL from PI 407788A on Chromosome 15. Crop Science. 56:219-225.

Interpretive Summary: Much of the value of soybean is from the seed protein that compromises approximately 40% of the seed dry weight of commercial varieites but could be much higher. Protein concentration is generally negatively correlated with both seed yield and seed oil concentration. The relationship between protein concentration and yield is less consistent and probably controlled by separate genes. Knowing the precise location of the chromosomal regions controlling high protein may allow for the selection for both high protein concentration and high yield. There are two major chromosomal regions known to affect protein concentration. The region on chromosome 20 has already been precisely located so the objective of this research was to define more precisely the location of the region on chromosome 15. Chromosomes consist of nucleobase pairs and soybean chromosomes have approximately 1.1 billion nucleobase pairs. Our research was able to locate the control of seed protein on chromosome 15 to a region of only 535,000 nucleobase pairs. This will be helpful for soybean breeders to precisely select for this region using DNA markers to increase seed protein and for geneticists to search this region to find the specific gene responsible for increasing protein concentration.

Technical Abstract: Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is grown primarily as a source of vegetable protein and oil. The objectives of this study were to identify soybean seed protein quantitative trait loci (QTL) from the high protein line PI 407788A and to fine map an important QTL for protein on chromosome (chr) 15. The mapping was done in a population of inbred lines developed with one backcross (BC1) using Williams 82 as a recurrent parent and the high protein source PI 407788A as a donor parent. The population was evaluated with genetic markers and for seed protein and oil concentrations in three Illinois locations in 2005 and 2006. The location of the major protein QTL on chr 15 was fine mapped by evaluating six populations of lines segregating for sections of the QTL interval in Illinois during 2008. Genetic marker analysis of the BC1 population revealed the locations of significant protein and oil QTL on chr 20 and 15 within regions where QTL for these traits were previously mapped. Fine mapping of the chr 15 QTL placed it in a 535 kb interval between BARCSOYSSR_15_0161 and BARCSOYSSR_15_0194 based on the Glyma.Wm82.a2 assembly. This fine mapping information will be useful in marker-assisted selection and efforts to clone the QTL.