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Estimation of allele dosage, using genomic data, in autopolyploids is challenging and current methods often result in the misclassification of genotypes. Some progress has been made when using SNP arrays, but the major challenge is when using next generation sequencing data. Here we compare the use of read depth as continuous parameterization with ploidy parameterizations in the context of genomic selection (GS). Additionally, different sources of information to build relationship matrices were compared. A real breeding population of the autotetraploid species blueberry (Vaccinium corybosum), composed of 1,847 individuals was phenotyped for eight yield and fruit quality traits over two years. Continuous genotypic based models performed as well as the best models. This approach also reduces the computational time and avoids problems associated with misclassification of genotypic classes when assigning dosage in polyploid species. This approach could be very valuable for species with higher ploidy levels or for emerging crops where ploidy is not well understood. To our knowledge, this work constitutes the first study of genomic selection in blueberry. Accuracies are encouraging for application of GS for blueberry breeding. GS could reduce the time for cultivar release by three years, increasing the genetic gain per cycle by 86% on average when compared to phenotypic selection, and 32% when compared with pedigree-based selection. Finally, the genotypic and phenotypic data used in this study are made available for comparative analysis of dosage calling and genomic selection prediction models in the context of autopolyploids.

Plant cytogenetic studies have provided essential knowledge on chromosome behavior during meiosis, contributing to our understanding of this complex process. In this review, we describe in detail the meiotic process in auto- and allopolyploids from the onset of prophase I through pairing, recombination, and bivalent formation, highlighting recent findings on the genetic control and mode of action of specific proteins that lead to diploid-like meiosis behavior in polyploid species. During the meiosis of newly formed polyploids, related chromosomes (homologous in autopolyploids; homologous and homoeologous in allopolyploids) can combine in complex structures called multivalents. These structures occur when multiple chromosomes simultaneously pair, synapse, and recombine. We discuss the effectiveness of crossover frequency in preventing multivalent formation and favoring regular meiosis. Homoeologous recombination in particular can generate new gene (locus) combinations and phenotypes, but it may destabilize the karyotype and lead to aberrant meiotic behavior, reducing fertility. In crop species, understanding the factors that control pairing and recombination has the potential to provide plant breeders with resources to make fuller use of available chromosome variations in number and structure. We focused on wheat and oilseed rape, since there is an abundance of elucidating studies on this subject, including the molecular characterization of the Ph1 (wheat) and PrBn (oilseed rape) loci, which are known to play a crucial role in regulating meiosis. Finally, we exploited the consequences of chromosome pairing and recombination for genetic map construction in polyploids, highlighting two case studies of complex genomes: (i) modern sugarcane, which has a man-made genome harboring two subgenomes with some recombinant chromosomes; and (ii) hexaploid sweet potato, a naturally occurring polyploid. The recent inclusion of allelic dosage information has improved linkage estimation in polyploids, allowing multilocus genetic maps to be constructed.

The Site Frequency Spectrum (SFS) and the heterozygosity of allelic variants are among the most important summary statistics for population genetic analysis of diploid organisms. We discuss the generalization of these statistics to populations of autopolyploid organisms in terms of the joint Site Frequency/Dosage Spectrum and its expected value for autopolyploid populations that follow the standard neutral model. Based on these results, we present estimators of nucleotide variability from High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) data of autopolyploids and discuss potential issues related to sequencing errors and variant calling. We use these estimators to generalize Tajima's D and other SFS-based neutrality tests to HTS data from autopolyploid organisms. Finally, we discuss how these approaches fail when the number of individuals is small. In fact, in autopolyploids there are many possible deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, each reflected in a different shape of the individual dosage distribution. The SFS from small samples is often dominated by the shape of these deviations of the dosage distribution from its Hardy-Weinberg expectations.

Background Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is predominantly an autopolyploid plant with a variable ploidy level, frequent aneuploidy and a large genome that hampers investigation of its organization. Genetic architecture studies are important for identifying genomic regions associated with traits of interest. However, due to the genetic complexity of sugarcane, the practical applications of genomic tools have been notably delayed in this crop, in contrast to other crops that have already advanced to marker-assisted selection (MAS) and genomic selection. High-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have opened new opportunities for discovering molecular markers, especially single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertion-deletion (indels), at the genome-wide level. The objectives of this study were to (i) establish a pipeline for identifying variants from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data in sugarcane, (ii) construct an integrated genetic map with GBS-based markers plus target region amplification polymorphisms and microsatellites, (iii) detect QTLs related to yield component traits, and (iv) perform annotation of the sequences that originated the associated markers with mapped QTLs to search putative candidate genes. Results We used four pseudo-references to align the GBS reads. Depending on the reference, from 3,433 to 15,906 high-quality markers were discovered, and half of them segregated as single-dose markers (SDMs) on average. In addition to 7,049 non-redundant SDMs from GBS, 629 gel-based markers were used in a subsequent linkage analysis. Of 7,678 SDMs, 993 were mapped. These markers were distributed throughout 223 linkage groups, which were clustered in 18 homo(eo)logous groups (HGs), with a cumulative map length of 3,682.04 cM and an average marker density of 3.70 cM. We performed QTL mapping of four traits and found seven QTLs. Our results suggest the presence of a stable QTL across locations. Furthermore, QTLs to soluble solid content (BRIX) and fiber content (FIB) traits had markers linked to putative candidate genes. Conclusions This study is the first to report the use of GBS for large-scale variant discovery and genotyping of a mapping population in sugarcane, providing several insights regarding the use of NGS data in a polyploid, non-model species. The use of GBS generated a large number of markers and still enabled ploidy and allelic dosage estimation. Moreover, we were able to identify seven QTLs, two of which had great potential for validation and future use for molecular breeding in sugarcane. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3383-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Submitted by Gabriela Lopes (gmachadolopesufpel@gmail.com) on 2016-09-27T14:16:41Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertação Raque Bartz Kneib.pdf: 709774 bytes, checksum: ed9b7474064e09348586e51c9221a9fa (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2016-09-28T17:06:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação Raque Bartz Kneib.pdf: 709774 bytes, checksum: ed9b7474064e09348586e51c9221a9fa (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-28T17:06:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação Raque Bartz Kneib.pdf: 709774 bytes, checksum: ed9b7474064e09348586e51c9221a9fa (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-31 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES A batata é o terceiro principal alimento produzido no mundo, e é um dos cultivos mais promissores para suprimir a fome em países em desenvolvimento. Cerca de 40 viroses infectam a cultura da batata, entre estas, o Potato virus Y (PVY) é, atualmente, o que causa maior impacto negativo na cultura. O PVY é transmitido de diversas formas, todas com controle e manejo deficitários, tornando a resistência genética a medida de controle mais eficaz. Esta resistência é controlada pelos genes Ry encontrados em espécies silvestres de batata. Marcadores do tipo SCAR (Sequence Characterized Amplified Region), os quais amplificam a região que contém o gene Ry, foram desenvolvidos e estão disponíveis para uso pelos programas de melhoramento de batata. Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de aumentar a eficiência dos programas de melhoramento de batata em relação à resistência ao PVY fazendo uso da seleção assistida por marcadores moleculares. A dissertação foi dividida em dois capítulos. No primeiro, visando estimar a dosagem alélica do gene Ry e selecionar clones com múltiplas cópias do gene Ry para serem usados como genitores no programa de melhoramento de batata, foram genotipadas sete famílias clonais, envolvendo cinco genitores com resistência ao PVY, utilizando os marcadores SCAR RYSC3 e M45. Para o gene Ryadg, com base no marcador RYSC 3, dos cinco genitores resistentes ao PVY avaliados, quatro, C1883-22-97, C2372-02-02, C2388-01-02, e MB9846-1, são simplex, e o genitor C2389-01-02 é duplex. Para o gene Rysto, com base no marcador M45, dois genitores, C2388-01-02 e MB9846-1, são simplex, e o genitor C2389-01-02 é duplex. Para os genitores C1883-22-97 e C2372-02-02, as frequências observadas de presença do gene Rysto, nas progênies avaliadas, não se adequaram estatisticamente a nenhuma das constituições genotípicas propostas. No segundo capítulo, com objetivo de identificar germoplasma de batata com resistência extrema ao vírus Y associada aos componentes da aparência e do rendimento de tubérculos, além verificar as associações entre esses caracteres, foram avaliados clones portadores do gene Ry, oriundos de oito combinações genéticas distintas. As combinações genéticas C2389-01-02 x Asterix, e, BRS Ana x C1883-22-97, mostraram maior potencial para serem exploradas visando agregar a resistência ao vírus Y aos caracteres desejáveis de rendimento e de aparência de tubérculo. O grau de correlação entre caracteres indica fortíssima e direta associação entre aparência geral e aspereza de tubérculo; forte e direta associação da intensidade da cor de película com aspereza e aparência geral de tubérculo, entre número e massa média de tubérculo, entre massa média e cor da película, e entre massa total e número total de tubérculos; e forte e inversa associação de formato com cor da polpa, cor da película e massa média de tubérculos. Os resultados encontrados no nosso estudo mostraram que os marcadores moleculares RYSC3 e M45 são uma importante ferramenta para ser usada pelos programas de melhoramento de batata visando acelerar o processo de desenvolvimento de cultivares com resistência ao PVY. Potato is the third main food crop in the world, and is one of the most promising crop to suppress hunger in developing countries. From the 40 viruses which infect potato growing fields, Potato virus Y (PVY) is currently considered the most important one. PVY is transmitted by several ways, all of them with limited control, begin genetic resistance the main way to control this important disease controlled by Ry genes. Molecular markers, which amplify the region containing Ry gene have been developed and are available to be used by potato breeding. This work was developed with the aim of increasing the efficiency of potato breeding programs for resistance to PVY making use of molecular assisted selection. The dissertation is divided into two chapters. In the first chapter, in order to estimate allelic dosage of Ry genes in clones used as genitors in the breeding program, progenies from seven families were genotyped with the markers RYSC3 and M45. For Ryadg gene, based on the marker RYSC, from the five PVY resistant parents analysed, four are simplex, C1883-22-97, C2372-02-02, C2388-01-02 and MB9846-1, and one is duplex, C2389- 01-02. For Rysto gene, based on the marker M45, both parents, C2388-01-02 and MB9846-1, are simplex, and the parent C2389-01-02 is duplex. For the C1883-22-97 and C2372-02-02, it was not possible to estimate the allelic dosage of the Rysto gene. In the second chapter, in order to identify germplasm with extreme resistance to PVY associated to desirable agronomic traits, clones carrying the Ry gene, belonging from eight different genetic combinations, were evaluated for characteres related to tuber appearance and yield. The genetic combinations C2389-01-02 x Asterix and BRS Ana x C1883-22-97 showed good potential to be exploited in order to add resistance to virus Y to traits related to yield and tuber appearance. The correlation between traits indicates very strong and direct association between tuber general appearance and roughness of tuber; strong and direct association of the intensity of the periderm color and tuber general appearance; between number of tubers per plant and average tuber weight; between average tuber weight and intensity of the periderm color and between the total mass of tubers per plant and total number of tubers per plant. Also, strong and inverse associations between tuber shape and flesh color and between periderm color and average tuber weight were detected. The results of our study showed that the molecular markers RYSC3 and M45 are important tools to be used by potato breeding programs to accelerate the development of cultivars with resistance to PVY.

International audience; The morphogenesis of the vertebrate skull results from highly dynamic integrated processes involving the exchange of signals between the ectoderm, the endoderm, and cephalic neural crest cells (CNCCs). Before migration CNCCs are not committed to form any specific skull element, molecular signals exchanged in restricted regions of tissue interaction are crucial in providing positional identity to the CNCCs mesenchyme and activate the specific morphogenetic process of different skeletal components of the head. In particular, the endothelin‐1 (Edn1)‐dependent activation of Dlx5 and Dlx6 in CNCCs that colonize the first pharyngeal arch (PA1) is necessary and sufficient to specify maxillo‐mandibular identity. Here, to better analyze the spatio‐temporal dynamics of this process, we associate quantitative gene expression analysis with detailed examination of skeletal phenotypes resulting from combined allelic reduction of Edn1, Dlx5, and Dlx6. We show that Edn1‐dependent and ‐independent regulatory pathways act at different developmental times in distinct regions of PA1. The Edn1→Dlx5/6→Hand2 pathway is already active at E9.5 during early stages of CNCCs colonization. At later stages (E10.5) the scenario is more complex: we propose a model in which PA1 is subdivided into four adjacent territories in which distinct regulations are taking place. This new developmental model may provide a conceptual framework to interpret the craniofacial malformations present in several mouse mutants and in human first arch syndromes. More in general, our findings emphasize the importance of quantitative gene expression in the fine control of morphogenetic events. genesis