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Population structure in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon is highly correlated with flowering differences across broad geographic areas

Journal Article · · The Plant Genome
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [5];  [6];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States); University of Massachusetts
  2. Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)
  3. ETSIA, Technical Univ. of Madrid, Madrid (Spain)
  4. The Ohio State Univ.-Lima, Lima, OH (United States)
  5. Univ. of Florence, Florence (Italy)
  6. Univ. di Palermo, Palermo (Italy)

The small, annual grass Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv., a close relative of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), is a powerful model system for cereals and bioenergy grasses. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of natural variation can elucidate the genetic basis of complex traits but have been so far limited in B. distachyon by the lack of large numbers of well-characterized and sufficiently diverse accessions. Here, we report on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) of 84 B. distachyon, seven B. hybridum, and three B. stacei accessions with diverse geographic origins including Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Over 90,000 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) distributed across the Bd21 reference genome were identified. Our results confirm the hybrid nature of the B. hybridum genome, which appears as a mosaic of B. distachyon-like and B. stacei-like sequences. Analysis of more than 50,000 SNPs for the B. distachyon accessions revealed three distinct, genetically defined populations. Surprisingly, these genomic profiles are associated with differences in flowering time rather than with broad geographic origin. High levels of differentiation in loci associated with floral development support the differences in flowering phenology between B. distachyon populations. Genome-wide association studies combining genotypic and phenotypic data also suggest the presence of one or more photoperiodism, circadian clock, and vernalization genes in loci associated with flowering time variation within B. distachyon populations. As a result, our characterization elucidates genes underlying population differences, expands the germplasm resources available for Brachypodium, and illustrates the feasibility and limitations of GWAS in this model grass.

Research Organization:
Univ.of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0006621
OSTI ID:
1312966
Journal Information:
The Plant Genome, Journal Name: The Plant Genome Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 9; ISSN 1940-3372
Publisher:
Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (10)

Extensive gene content variation in the Brachypodium distachyon pan-genome correlates with population structure journal December 2017
Colonization history of the Canary Islands endemic Lavatera acerifolia, (Malvaceae) unveiled with genotyping‐by‐sequencing data and niche modelling journal April 2020
Comparative plastome genomics and phylogenomics of Brachypodium : flowering time signatures, introgression and recombination in recently diverged ecotypes journal December 2017
Evolutionary processes from the perspective of flowering time diversity journal October 2019
Genome-wide scans of selection highlight the impact of biotic and abiotic constraints in natural populations of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon journal September 2018
Environmental isolation explains Iberian genetic diversity in the highly homozygous model grass Brachypodium distachyon journal June 2017
Global Diversity of the Brachypodium Species Complex as a Resource for Genome-Wide Association Studies Demonstrated for Agronomic Traits in Response to Climate journal November 2018
DNA-Based Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Grassland Plant Species: Challenges, Approaches, and Applications journal December 2019
DNA-Based Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Grassland Plant Species: Challenges, Approaches, and Applications text January 2019
Extensive gene content variation in the Brachypodium distachyon pan-genome correlates with population structure text January 2017

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