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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #348742
Title: Identification and validation of a new source of low grain cadmium accumulation in durum wheat

Author
item ABBASABADI, ATENA - North Dakota State University
item KUMAR, AJAY - North Dakota State University
item PIRSEYEDI, SEYED - North Dakota State University
item SALSMAN, EVAN - North Dakota State University
item DOBRYDINA, MARINA - North Dakota State University
item POUDEL, ROSHAN - North Dakota State University
item ABUHAMMAD, WESAM - Arizona Plant Breeders Inc
item Chao, Shiaoman
item Faris, Justin
item ELIAS, ELIAS - North Dakota State University

Submitted to: G3, Genes/Genomes/Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2018
Publication Date: 1/19/2018
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6471048
Citation: Abbasabadi, A.O., Kumar, A., Pirseyedi, S., Salsman, E., Dobrydina, M., Poudel, R.S., Abuhammad, W.A., Chao, S., Faris, J.D., Elias, E.M. 2018. Identification and validation of a new source of low grain cadmium accumulation in durum wheat. G3, Genes/Genomes/Genetics. 8:923-932.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.117.300370

Interpretive Summary: Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that has no known biological function and is toxic for many living organisms. Many modern durum wheat varieties take up and accumulate amounts of Cd that are beyond the maximum amount allowed by the international market. Therefore, it would be beneficial to identify genes in durum wheat that lead to a reduction of Cd uptake and accumulation in the grain. In this research, we identified a gene derived from common bread wheat that is present in a modern durum wheat line, and the presence of the gene leads to greatly reduced concentrations of Cd in durum grains. Genetic analysis revealed that this gene is different from another, previously identified gene, and that the gene may function to reduce Cd uptake from the soil. DNA markers developed in this research will greatly aid researchers in the development of new durum varieties with low Cd uptake.

Technical Abstract: Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that has no known biological function and is toxic for many living organisms. The maximum level of Cd concentration allowed in the international market for wheat grain is 0.2 mg kg-1. Because phenotyping for Cd uptake is expensive and time consuming, molecular markers associated with genes conferring low Cd uptake would expedite selection and lead to the development of durum cultivars with reduced Cd concentrations. Here, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with a novel low Cd uptake locus in the durum experimental line D041735, which has hexaploid common wheat in its pedigree. Genetic analysis revealed a single major QTL for Cd uptake on chromosome arm 5BL within a 0.3 cM interval flanked by SNP markers. Analysis of the intervening sequence revealed a gene with homology to an aluminum-induced protein as a candidate gene. Validation and allelism tests revealed that the low Cd uptake gene identified in this study is different from the closely linked Cdu1-B gene, which also resides on 5BL. This study therefore confirmed that the durum experimental line D041735 contains a novel low Cd uptake gene that was likely acquired from hexaploid wheat.