Abstract
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds are a rich source of β-glucans that can help reduce blood serum cholesterol content in human diets. However, high levels of this polysaccharide in the seeds causes inefficiencies such as slow lautering during the brewing process due to the higher wort viscosity. Thus, depending on the end use, barley breeding programs have opposing goals with respect to β-glucan. Discovery of new alleles for β-glucan content in exotic barley germplasm could have significant commercial importance. We leveraged the Wild Barley Diversity Collection (WBDC; N = 314), grown at University of California-Davis experiment station, to characterize both the variation in β-glucan content found in this wild barley subspecies (Hordeum vulgare spp. spontaneum) and to reveal chromosomal regions associated with this trait. Grain β-glucan content ranged from 2.56 to 11.73% in the WBDC. Within structured subpopulations, geographical coordinates as well as annual precipitation data of original collection sites showed associations with differing levels of β-glucan content. Genome-wide association study identified a total of 13 quantitative traits loci (QTL) spread across the seven barley chromosomes that explained most of the variation in β-glucan content in the WBDC. Previously reported genes associated with β-glucan content such as β-glucan synthases and hydrolases (e.g., callose synthase) were identified within these QTL regions. Genes such as Patatin and Nudix hydrolase provide novel targets for manipulating grain β-glucan in barley. RNA-seq data from both developing and germinating barley seeds for the annotated genes in the QTL regions provide further corroboration for a functional role for these genes in modulating seed β-glucan levels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1213-1227 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Crop Science |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Lauri Herrin, Tate Hattervig, Leslie Zalapa for their technical assistance and efforts in developing the assay; Savannah Beyer for work on graphics; and Tamas Szinyei, Matthew Martin, Lee Jackson, Isabel Alicia del Blanco, and Nicolas Cobo for curating and growing out the collection of wild barley accessions. This research is funded, in part, by the American Malting Barley Association (AMBA), the Lieberman‐Okinow Endowment at the University of Minnesota, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch project (#MIN‐22‐085 “Exploiting Wild Relatives for Cultivated Wheat and Barley Improvement”). Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Funding Information:
We thank Lauri Herrin, Tate Hattervig, Leslie Zalapa for their technical assistance and efforts in developing the assay; Savannah Beyer for work on graphics; and Tamas Szinyei, Matthew Martin, Lee Jackson, Isabel Alicia del Blanco, and Nicolas Cobo for curating and growing out the collection of wild barley accessions. This research is funded, in part, by the American Malting Barley Association (AMBA), the Lieberman-Okinow Endowment at the University of Minnesota, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch project (#MIN-22-085 “Exploiting Wild Relatives for Cultivated Wheat and Barley Improvement”). Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Crop Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Crop Science Society of America. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
