Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #411576
Research Project: Development of Climate Resilient Germplasm and Management Tools for Sustainable Row Crop Production

Location: Plant Stress and Germplasm Development Research

Title: Functional genomics enabled by the large scale sequence indexed sorghum mutant population

Author
item JIAO, YINPING - Texas Tech University
item TIAN, RAN - Texas Tech University
item Chen, Junping
item Ware, Doreen
item Xin, Zhanguo

Submitted to: Plant Biology Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2024
Publication Date: 6/22/2024
Citation: Jiao, Y., Tian, R., Chen, J., Ware, D., Xin, Z. 2024. Functional genomics enabled by the large scale sequence indexed sorghum mutant population. Plant Biology Annual Meeting.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Induced mutagenesis is a powerful approach to generate variations for elucidation of gene function and create new traits for breeding. We have developed a pedigreed mutant library through chemical mutagenesis with ethylmethane sulfonate (EMS) treated seeds in sorghum. The mutant library displayed many traits of significant agronomic value. The sequencing of 1,000 randomly selected mutants detected 9 million EMS-induced mutations, covering over 98% of the genes in the genome of inbred line BTx623. Additionally, 610,320 mutations were identified in the promoter and enhancer regions of 18,000 and 11,790 genes, respectively. Mutations in genes of interest can be searched online through SorghumBase (https://www.sorghumbase.org) or SorbMutDB (https://www.depts.ttu.edu/igcast/SorbMutDB.php ). Leveraging this mutant population, we are currently conducting a system study to gain insights into the unique components of the sorghum epicuticular wax (EW) biosynthesis pathway. The epicuticular wax, consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds that coat the outer surface of land plants, is crucial in protecting plants from a wide range of biotic and abiotic stressors. The substantial EW layer on sorghum contributes significantly to its high heat and drought tolerance. To identify the key genes in the EW synthesis pathway, we have isolated 95 sorghum mutants that lack the wax, often referred to as "bloomless mutants." So far we have discovered 18 genes in this pathway including four genes that haven’t been reported before. More detailed findings will be presented at the upcoming conference.