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Genome-Wide Association Studies of Seed Performance Traits in Response to Heat Stress in Medicago truncatula Uncover MIEL1 as a Regulator of Seed Germination Plasticity

Authors :
Zhijuan Chen
Joseph Ly Vu
Benoit Ly Vu
Julia Buitink
Olivier Leprince
Jerome Verdier
Source :
Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol 12 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2021.

Abstract

Legume seeds are an important source of proteins, minerals, and vitamins for human and animal diets and represent a keystone for food security. With climate change and global warming, the production of grain legumes faces new challenges concerning seed vigor traits that allow the fast and homogenous establishment of the crop in a wide range of environments. These seed performance traits are regulated during seed maturation and are under the strong influence of the maternal environment. In this study, we used 200 natural Medicago truncatula accessions, a model species of legumes grown in optimal conditions and under moderate heat stress (26°C) during seed development and maturation. This moderate stress applied at flowering onwards impacted seed weight and germination capacity. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed to identify putative loci or genes involved in regulating seed traits and their plasticity in response to heat stress. We identified numerous significant quantitative trait nucleotides and potential candidate genes involved in regulating these traits under heat stress by using post-GWAS analyses combined with transcriptomic data. Out of them, MtMIEL1, a RING-type zinc finger family gene, was shown to be highly associated with germination speed in heat-stressed seeds. In Medicago, we highlighted that MtMIEL1 was transcriptionally regulated in heat-stressed seed production and that its expression profile was associated with germination speed in different Medicago accessions. Finally, a loss-of-function analysis of the Arabidopsis MIEL1 ortholog revealed its role as a regulator of germination plasticity of seeds in response to heat stress.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1664462X
Volume :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.73040ddf218343fd9a408043d2064e6f
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.673072