玉米株高主效数量性状位点（QTL）的解析

Plant height as the key factor for plant architecture can greatly affect the production of maize plant. However, progress on the cloning of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) for plant height and other agronomic traits in maize is slow because of three obstacles: plant height and other agronomic traits in maize are generally controlled by many QTLs with tiny genetic effect; the functional sites for natural phenotype variation in maize are generally located in the regulatory regions, these sites are difficult for mapping; and the efficiency of maize transformation is still low. To accelerate the cloning of major plant height QTLs in maize, we plan to combine map-based cloning with comparative genomics and association mapping, that is, first, transfer the major QTLs into mendelian factors using high dense genetic map, followed by fine mapping; second, connect diverse functional genomic platforms in cereals through comparative genomics to obtain the candidate genes, third, validate gene function by association mapping, or gene transformation across different species, or plant height mutants.

茎杆的高度作为玉米株型的重要组成部分，是影响玉米产量的一个关键性因素。然而玉米株高等重要农艺性状QTL的克隆依然进展缓慢，主要存在三大困难：大多数玉米株高等重要农艺性状受多个遗传效应低的QTL控制；表型自然变异的功能性位点多位于调控区，过于隐蔽,不易定位；另外玉米外源基因的转化效率低。针对这三个困难，我们提出整合图位克隆，比较基因组和关联分析等多种方法来加速玉米株高主效QTL的克隆，即先使用高密度的遗传图谱迅速将玉米主效株高QTLs转变为单个孟德尔因子,将其表型效应放大,然后再逐一地精细定位；接着利用比较基因组将不同作物之间各种不同的功能基因组平台串联起来进行基因候选；再使用定点的关联分析、基因的跨物种转化、或者不同作物的株高突变体来验证基因的功能。