Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize

Maize is an important food crop, and 100-kernel weight (HKW) is one of the three key components of yield. In this study, 200 maize inbred lines were used as the material, and HKW was evaluated over three consecutive years in two environments. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted usin...

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Main Authors: Meixia Wang, Danyang Cheng, Haojie Ren, Haoyang Li, Ruiyu Wang, Chunlin Dong, Jianzhong Chang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Agronomy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2954
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author Meixia Wang
Danyang Cheng
Haojie Ren
Haoyang Li
Ruiyu Wang
Chunlin Dong
Jianzhong Chang
author_facet Meixia Wang
Danyang Cheng
Haojie Ren
Haoyang Li
Ruiyu Wang
Chunlin Dong
Jianzhong Chang
author_sort Meixia Wang
collection DOAJ
description Maize is an important food crop, and 100-kernel weight (HKW) is one of the three key components of yield. In this study, 200 maize inbred lines were used as the material, and HKW was evaluated over three consecutive years in two environments. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using the Blink and FarmCPU models with 44,935 SNP markers evenly distributed across the maize genome. A total of 25 SNPs significantly associated with HKW were identified, with three SNPs detected in both models. Six significant SNPs were located within previously mapped QTL bins associated with grain weight. In the linkage disequilibrium (LD) regions of the significant SNP loci, 198 candidate genes were identified, of which 74 had annotation information. Further analysis revealed 21 candidate genes related to HKW, such as <i>GRMZM2G010555</i> (alternative oxidase), <i>GRMZM2G102471</i> (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), <i>GRMZM2G060669</i> (histone deacetylase), <i>GRMZM2G090156</i> (methyltransferase), <i>GRMZM2G002075</i> (BZIP transcription factor), and <i>GRMZM2G138454</i> (bHLH transcription factor). The SNP loci and candidate genes identified in this study provide important references for marker-assisted selection, fine mapping, and gene cloning related to HKW in maize.
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spelling doaj-art-547f0ecffa5941e58fa748e4fd628dac2025-08-20T02:53:18ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-12-011412295410.3390/agronomy14122954Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in MaizeMeixia Wang0Danyang Cheng1Haojie Ren2Haoyang Li3Ruiyu Wang4Chunlin Dong5Jianzhong Chang6College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801, ChinaShanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, ChinaShanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, ChinaShanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, ChinaShanxi Institute of Organic Dryland Farming, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan 030031, ChinaMaize is an important food crop, and 100-kernel weight (HKW) is one of the three key components of yield. In this study, 200 maize inbred lines were used as the material, and HKW was evaluated over three consecutive years in two environments. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using the Blink and FarmCPU models with 44,935 SNP markers evenly distributed across the maize genome. A total of 25 SNPs significantly associated with HKW were identified, with three SNPs detected in both models. Six significant SNPs were located within previously mapped QTL bins associated with grain weight. In the linkage disequilibrium (LD) regions of the significant SNP loci, 198 candidate genes were identified, of which 74 had annotation information. Further analysis revealed 21 candidate genes related to HKW, such as <i>GRMZM2G010555</i> (alternative oxidase), <i>GRMZM2G102471</i> (ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme), <i>GRMZM2G060669</i> (histone deacetylase), <i>GRMZM2G090156</i> (methyltransferase), <i>GRMZM2G002075</i> (BZIP transcription factor), and <i>GRMZM2G138454</i> (bHLH transcription factor). The SNP loci and candidate genes identified in this study provide important references for marker-assisted selection, fine mapping, and gene cloning related to HKW in maize.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2954maize100-kernel weightgenome-wide association studycandidate gene identification
spellingShingle Meixia Wang
Danyang Cheng
Haojie Ren
Haoyang Li
Ruiyu Wang
Chunlin Dong
Jianzhong Chang
Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
Agronomy
maize
100-kernel weight
genome-wide association study
candidate gene identification
title Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
title_full Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
title_fullStr Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
title_full_unstemmed Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
title_short Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci and Candidate Genes for 100-Kernel Weight in Maize
title_sort genome wide association analysis identifies loci and candidate genes for 100 kernel weight in maize
topic maize
100-kernel weight
genome-wide association study
candidate gene identification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2954
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