Page 23 - AWA Vol.41-No.3

FOOD PROCESSING TECHNOLOGy

Interdisciplinary Research Reveals Genetic Mechanisms

for Fine-Tuning Agronomic Traits in Corn

research team led by Andrea Eve-
A land, PhD, associate member at the
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center,
has uncovered key genetic regulatory
factors that control pleiotropy—a phe-
nomenon where a single gene influences
multiple traits. Their study, “Regulatory
variation controlling architectural pleiot-
ropy” recently published in the journal,
Nature Communications, sheds new light
on how genes governing leaf angle and
tassel branching in maize can be modu-
lated to optimize crop productivity.
Pleiotropy poses a challenge for crop
improvement because selecting for one
beneficial trait can negatively impact an-
other. In addition to Eveland’s research
team, scientists from the University of Il-
linois Urbana-Champaign, the University
of California, Berkeley, and North Carolina
State University demonstrated that com-
mon gene networks that function early in land’s research targets gene regulatory ing for breeders.
maize organ development contribute to events that occur early in plant develop-
pleiotropy in leaf angle and tassel branch- ment—critical stages that determine final “One of the most exciting findings from
ing. By integrating developmental biology, plant architecture and productivity. this study was evidence that similar class-
statistical genetics, and graph theory, they es of transcription factors can accurately
identified regulatory variation in these Another major outcome of the study predict leaf angle in both maize and sor-
networks that could potentially decouple showed that biological data derived from ghum,” said Lipka.
these traits, offering a new approach to specific developmental contexts tailored
fine-tuning crop architecture. to the trait(s) of interest could inform rel- Field of modern maize with upright ar-
evant subsets of genetic markers for use in chitecture allows for dense planting and
When a plant organ develops, a bound- enhanced yield potential.
ary layer of cells forms between the differ- genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
entiating organ and the pool of stem cells and genomic prediction models. GWAS From Research to Real-World Impact
it came from. This process is true regard- are statistical analyses that link genetic Eveland’s work was supported by a Na-
less of organ type, so you can imagine that markers in the genome to certain pheno- tional Science Foundation (NSF) award
common sets of genes are deployed to typic traits, i.e., genotype to phenotype. (IOS-1733606), which has contributed to
function in organ boundaries during both Using many markers ensures that the ge-
leaf organogenesis and tassel branching, nomic space is covered but is computa- 24 scientific publications to date. The Na-
contributing to pleiotropy. Eveland and tionally intensive and tends to favor mark- ture Communications study marks a key
her team leveraged this genetic system er associations at genetic loci with large milestone in the collaborative research
to examine differences in how such genes effects at the expense of those with small between developmental geneticists, com-
are modulated in specific developmental effect sizes, which are typically more agro- putational biologists, and statisticians.
contexts. nomically relevant. Using this biologically “This was the culmination of years of in-
informed marker reduction approach,
“There are certain maize genes that new genes were identified at the nexus terdisciplinary work,” said Eveland. “By in-
when perturbed, dramatically affect both between regulation of leaf angle and tas- tegrating diverse expertise, we’ve gained
leaf and tassel morphology,” said Eve- sel branching. invaluable insights into gene networks that
land. “By teasing apart how these genes regulate important agronomic traits. The
are specifically regulated in early devel- A related study leveraged the same ultimate goal is to translate these findings
opmental programs that pattern different biologically informed network graphs to into improved breeding strategies that en-
plant organs, we can gain flexibility in demonstrate increased prediction accu- hance food security.”
crop improvement and optimize key traits racy for these traits in genomic prediction
independently.” models. This related work led by Edoardo The NSF grant also funded the Geno-
Bertolini, PhD., research scientist at the type-to-Phenotype Authentic Research
Advancing Precision Breeding for Danforth Center and Alexander E. Lipka, Experience (ARE), offered through the
Higher Yields Danforth Center’s Education Research
PhD., associate professor, University of Il-
Over the past century, hybrid-based linois, Urbana-Champaign, was published and Outreach Lab. The ARE program pro-
breeding has improved maize yields by on December 4, 2024 in the journal Genet- vides high school and community col-
selecting for compact plants with upright ics, “Genomic prediction of cereal crop lege students across the St. Louis region
leaves and fewer tassel branches, enabling architectural traits using models informed (and beyond) from urban to rural schools
higher planting densities and greater light by gene regulatory circuitries in maize”. with hands-on experience in core areas of
penetration. Future yield gains, however, This approach, especially when combined plant science, equipping them with skills
will require more precise engineering of with high-throughput, high-resolution field essential to a workforce that can fuel mod-
genomes and regulatory pathways. Eve- phenotyping, is potentially game-chang- ern agriculture. Circle 28 on enquiry card
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