Combining diversity within Sorghum bicolor for genomic and fine mapping of intra-allelic interactions underlying heterosis
Authors: Fridman Eyal , Yu Jianming , Elbaum Rivka 
Published: January 2022

Heterosis, the enigmatic phenomenon in which whole genome heterozygous hybrids demonstrate superior fitness compared to their homozygous parents, is the main cornerstone of modern crop plant breeding. One explanation for this non-additive inheritance of hybrids is interaction of alleles within the same locus. This proposal aims at screening, identifying and investigating heterosis trait loci (HTL) for different yield traits by implementing a novel integrated mapping approach in Sorghum bicolor as a model for other crop plants. Originally, the general goal of this research was to perform a genetic dissection of heterosis in a diallel built from a set of Sorghum bicolor inbred lines. This was conducted by implementing a novel computational algorithm which aims at associating between specific heterozygosity found among hybrids with heterotic variation for different agronomic traits. The initial goals of the research are: (i) Perform genotype by sequencing (GBS) of the founder lines (ii) To evaluate the heterotic variation found in the diallel by performing field trails and measurements in the field (iii) To perform QTL analysis for identifying heterotic trait loci (HTL) (iv) to validate candidate HTL by testing the quantitative mode of inheritance in F2 populations, and (v) To identify candidate HTL in NAM founder lines and fine map these loci by test-cross selected RIL derived from these founders.   The genetic mapping was initially achieved with app. 100 SSR markers, and later the founder lines were genotyped by sequencing. In addition to the original proposed research we have added two additional populations that were utilized to further develop the HTL mapping approach; (1) A diallel of budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that was tested for heterosis of doubling time, and (2) a recombinant inbred line population of Sorghum bicolor that allowed testing in the field and in more depth the contribution of heterosis to plant height, as well as to achieve novel simulation for predicting dominant and additive effects in tightly linked loci on pseudooverdominance.   There are several conclusions relevant to crop plants in general and to sorghum breeding and biology in particular: (i) heterosis for reproductive (1), vegetative (2) and metabolic phenotypes is predominantly achieved via dominance complementation. (ii) most loci that seems to be inherited as overdominant are in fact achieving superior phenotype of the heterozygous due to linkage in repulsion, namely by pseudooverdominant mechanism. Our computer simulations show that such repulsion linkage could influence QTL detection and estimation of effect in segregating populations. (iii) A new height QTL (qHT7.1) was identified near the genomic region harboring the known auxin transporter Dw3 in sorghum, and its genetic dissection in RIL population demonstrated that it affects both the upper and lower parts of the plant, whereas Dw3 affects only the part below the flag leaf. (iv) HTL mapping for grain nitrogen content in sorghum grains has identified several candidate genes that regulate this trait, including several putative nitrate transporters and a transcription factor belonging to the no-apical meristem (NAC)-like large gene family. This activity was combined with another BARD-funded project in which several de-novo mutants in this gene were identified for functional analysis.