KNOX genes influence a gradient of fruit chloroplast development through regulation of GOLDEN2-LIKE expression in tomato.

The chlorophyll content of unripe fleshy fruits is positively correlated with the nutrient content and flavor of ripe fruit. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit, the uniform ripening (u) locus, which encodes a GOLDEN 2-LIKE transcription factor (SlGLK2), influences a gradient of chloroplast development that extends from the stem end of the fruit surrounding the calyx to the base of the fruit. With the exception of the u locus, the factors that influence the formation of this developmental gradient are unknown. In this study, characterization and positional cloning of the uniform gray-green (ug) locus of tomato reveals a thus far unknown role for the Class I KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX) gene, TKN4, in specifying the formation of this chloroplast gradient. The involvement of KNOX in fruit chloroplast development was confirmed through characterization of the Curl (Cu) mutant, a dominant gain-of-function mutation of TKN2, which displays ectopic fruit chloroplast development that resembles SlGLK2 over-expression. TKN2 and TKN4 act upstream of SlGLK2 and the related gene ARABIDOPSIS PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR 2-LIKE (SlAPRR2-LIKE) to establish their latitudinal gradient of expression across developing fruit that leads to a gradient of chloroplast development. Class I KNOX genes typically influence plant morphology through maintenance of meristem activity, but this study identifies a role for TKN2 and TKN4 in specifically influencing chloroplast development in fruit but not leaves, suggesting that this fundamental process is differentially regulated in these two organs.

A community resource for exploring and utilizing genetic diversity in the USDA pea single plant plus collection.

Globally, pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important temperate legume crop for food, feed and fodder, and many breeding programs develop cultivars adapted to these end-uses. In order to assist pea development efforts, we assembled the USDA Pea Single Plant Plus Collection (PSPPC), which contains 431 P. sativum accessions with morphological, geographic and taxonomic diversity. The collection was characterized genetically in order to maximize its value for trait mapping and genomics-assisted breeding. To that end, we used genotyping-by-sequencing-a cost-effective method for de novo single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker discovery-to generate 66 591 high-quality SNPs. These data facilitated the identification of accessions divergent from mainstream breeding germplasm that could serve as sources of novel, favorable alleles. In particular, a group of accessions from Central Asia appear nearly as diverse as a sister species, P. fulvum, and subspecies, P. sativum subsp. elatius. PSPPC genotypes can be paired with new and existing phenotype data for trait mapping; as proof-of-concept, we localized Mendel's A gene controlling flower color to its known position. We also used SNP data to define a smaller core collection of 108 accessions with similar levels of genetic diversity as the entire PSPPC, resulting in a smaller germplasm set for research screening and evaluation under limited resources. Taken together, the results presented in this study along with the release of a publicly available SNP data set comprise a valuable resource for supporting worldwide pea genetic improvement efforts.

Cultivar-Based Introgression Mapping Reveals Wild Species-Derived Pm-0, the Major Powdery Mildew Resistance Locus in Squash.

Powdery mildew is a major fungal disease on squash and pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) in the US and throughout the world. Genetic resistance to the disease is not known to occur naturally within Cucurbita pepo and only infrequently in Cucurbita moschata, but has been achieved in both species through the introgression of a major resistance gene from the wild species Cucurbita okeechobeensis subsp. martinezii. At present, this gene, Pm-0, is used extensively in breeding, and is found in nearly all powdery mildew-resistant C. pepo and C. moschata commercial cultivars. In this study, we mapped C. okeechobeensis subsp. martinezii-derived single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) alleles in a set of taxonomically and morphologically diverse and resistant C. pepo and C. moschata cultivars bred at Cornell University that, by common possession of Pm-0, form a shared-trait introgression panel. High marker density was achieved using genotyping-by-sequencing, which yielded over 50,000 de novo SNP markers in each of the three Cucurbita species genotyped. A single 516.4 kb wild-derived introgression was present in all of the resistant cultivars and absent in a diverse set of heirlooms that predated the Pm-0 introgression. The contribution of this interval to powdery mildew resistance was confirmed by association mapping in a C. pepo cultivar panel that included the Cornell lines, heirlooms, and 68 additional C. pepo cultivars and with an independent F2 population derived from C. okeechobeensis subsp. martinezii x C. moschata. The interval was refined to a final candidate interval of 76.4 kb and CAPS markers were developed inside this interval to facilitate marker-assisted selection.