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Title: IDENTIFICATION OF QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI INFLUENCING B-GLUCAN CONTENT IN OAT (AVENA SATIVA, 2N=6X=42)

Author
item KIANIAN, SHAHRYAR - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item PHILLIPS, RONALD - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Rines, Howard
item FULCHER, R - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item WEBSTER, FRANCIS - THE QUAKER OATS COMPANY
item STUTHMAN, DEON - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In the cereal grain oat a high concentration of soluble fiber, or beta- glucan, is desired for human food because of its positive health role as a dietary component reducing serum cholesterol levels. In contrast, lower fiber levels are desired in oat grain used for livestock feed because it can negatively affect energy intake. Previous studies have shown that the concentration of beta-glucan in oat is inherited in a complex fashion with many regions of the oat's genetic material, often interacting with the growth environment of the plant, influencing beta-glucan levels in the grain. Thus, it has been difficult for plant breeders to readily breed for high or low beta-glucan content oat varieties. We used techniques involving analysis of variations in specific segments of the oats' genetic material or DNA, data from multiple growth environments, and special statistical methods in two oat breeding populations to identify regions in the oat DNA that have an influence on the oat grain beta-glucan content. These analyses were done on two oat breeding populations. Some of the genetic regions identified had significant effects on beta-glucan levels in both populations while other genetic regions had a detectable influence in only one or the other population. A knowledge of oat DNA segments that influence grain beta-glucan levels together with modern techniques that enable detection of these segments will provide oat breeders the opportunity to breed oat types for particular uses, lower soluble fiber oats as desired by livestock producers for use in animal feed or higher soluble fiber oats for oat grain millers to make cereal products with even greater human health benefits.

Technical Abstract: The beta-glucan content of oat grain is of interest due to its positive human health role as a dietary component influencing serum cholesterol levels and its relation to energy intake of livestock feed. Two recombinant inbred populations sharing a common parent and containing 137 (Kanota x Ogle) and 137 (Kanota x Marion) individual lines each were used to identify genomic regions that influence beta-glucan content in cultivated oat. Single factor ANOVA, a backward elimination process, simple interval mapping (SIM), and simplified composite interval mapping (sCIM) were used to determine quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Regions on linkage groups 11 and 14 of the hexaploid oat RFLP map influenced beta- glucan levels in both populations and over multiple environments. Other genomic regions were identified whose effects varied depending on the genetic background but were significant over measurements in a given population. Kanota and Ogle exhibit similar beta-glucan levels and each parent contributed about the same number of positive beta-glucan alleles in the Kanota x Ogle cross. Marion is higher in beta-glucan than Kanota and contributed all of the positive alleles in the Kanota x Marion cross. Three of the beta-glucan QTL regions identified have been previously implicated as having a significant influence on the groat oil content in oat. These correlated QTL regions were either in coupling phase, with a region from one parent having the same effect on both traits, or were in repulsion phase. Identification of coupling and repulsion phase QTL regions for beta-glucan and oil content facilitates the use of markers in manipulating these traits in oat breeding.