Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #178233
Title: GENETIC DIVERSITY AND SELECTION FOR AMINO ACID GENES AND CONTENT IN DIVERSE MAIZE

Author
item Flint-Garcia, Sherry
item Guill, Katherine
item YAMASAKI, MASANORI - UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
item DOEBLEY, JOHN - UNIV OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
item McMullen, Michael

Submitted to: Maize Genetics Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/5/2005
Publication Date: 3/10/2005
Citation: Flint Garcia, S.A., Houchins, K.E., Yamasaki, M., Doebley, J., Mcmullen, M.D. 2005. Genetic diversity and selection for amino acid genes and content in diverse maize [abstract]. Maize Genetics Conference. Paper No. 199. p. 137.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective of crop improvement is to enhance a trait phenotype through breeding and/or biotechnology. Allelic variation in gene(s) underlying the trait is critical for crop improvement. However, a prior knowledge of the genes underlying the trait and degree of allelic variation is usually limited. A key factor impacting the degree of allelic variation is whether the gene has been the target of selection, either during domestication or crop improvement. If a gene has been the target of selection, there may be limited genetic variability, even within diverse germplasm. In a prior study comparing genetic diversity in maize inbreds and teosinte accessions for ~1800 randomly selected genes, we observed that a number of selected genes were in amino acid biosynthetic pathways. We analyzed the amino acid composition of seeds from seven teosinte accessions and 27 maize inbred lines. While there were limited differences among the maize inbreds, there were significant differences between teosinte and maize for several amino acids. We have sequenced a large number of candidate genes in amino acid biosynthetic pathways to identify targets of selection. We have examined the sequence diversity and will discuss the relationship between diversity, selection, and amino acid content in our set of diverse maize and teosinte.