bims-plasge Biomed News
on Plastid genes
Issue of 2025–06–15
three papers selected by
Vera S. Bogdanova, ИЦиГ СО РАН



  1. Theor Appl Genet. 2025 Jun 09. 138(7): 141
       KEY MESSAGE: Two Restorer-of-fertility loci, Rf-m1 and Rf-m2, co-condition fertility restoration in ZD-type CMS soybean though complex genetic interactions in both gametophytic and sporophytic manners. In soybean (Glycine max), the genetic mechanisms underlying fertility restoration of ZD-type cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS-ZD) are not fully understood. By crossing the CMS-ZD line W931A with its strong restorer WR016, we elucidated the inheritance patterns of fertility restoration. We discovered that restoration by WR016 is primarily governed by two Restorer-of-fertility (Rf) loci, Rf-m1 and Rf-m2, located within ~ 220 kb on chromosome 16 and ~ 117 kb on chromosome 9, respectively. They exhibited two distinctive inheritance modes across genotype combinations. In plants with the genotype of -/rf-m1 -/rf-m2, such as F1 hybrids, gametophytic inheritance mode is predominant. In this case, Rf-m1 in haploid tissue is essential for pollen fertility restoration, and Rf-m2 is a modifier to enhance the effect. Correspondingly, plants displayed low pollen staining rates (sterile to ~ 50% depending on genotype). Conversely, in plants with one locus present as the homozygous Rf/Rf genotype, sporophytic inheritance mode is predominant. Plants exhibited high pollen staining rates (mostly > 80%), and the segregation of heterozygous loci in the next generation followed the Mendelian ratio. Notably, alleles rf-m1 and especially rf-m2 appear to suppress fertility. Further experiments revealed the best candidates of Rf-m1 and Rf-m2 are Glyma.16G139800 and Glyma.09G171200, encoding mitochondrial pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins GmPPR567 and GmPPR497. Haplotype analysis revealed that lines carrying homozygous Rf /Rf or rf /rf at both loci are rare among domesticated soybean germplasms. Using locus-specific markers and in silico haplotype screening, we identified two effective restorers and one maintainer line in elite germplasms, facilitating hybrid breeding in soybean.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-025-04925-9
  2. Plant Genome. 2025 Jun;18(2): e70051
      Pulses are a valuable source of plant proteins for human and animal nutrition and have various industrial applications. Understanding the genetic basis for the relative abundance of different seed storage proteins is crucial for developing cultivars with improved protein quality and functional properties. In this study, we employed two complementary approaches, genome-wide association study (GWAS) and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, to identify genetic loci underlying seed protein composition in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to separate the seed proteins, and their relative abundance was quantified using densitometric analysis. For GWAS, we analyzed a diverse panel of 209 accessions genotyped with an 84,691 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and identified genetic loci significantly associated with globulins, such as convicilin, vicilin, legumins, and non-globulins, including lipoxygenase, late embryogenesis abundant protein, and annexin-like protein. Additionally, using QTL mapping with 96 recombinant inbred lines, we mapped 11 QTL, including five that overlapped with regions identified by GWAS for the same proteins. Some of the significant SNPs were within or near the genes encoding seed proteins and other genes with predicted functions in protein biosynthesis, trafficking, and modification. This comprehensive genetic mapping study serves as a foundation for future breeding efforts to improve protein quality in pea and other legumes.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/tpg2.70051
  3. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2025 Jun 09. pii: a041872. [Epub ahead of print]
      Mendel conducted his studies on the transmission of genetic elements from one generation to the next using pea varieties commercially available at that time. He presented segregation data for seven character differences in detail. The molecular basis of five of these character differences is known, round versus wrinkled seeds, yellow versus green cotyledons, green versus yellow pods, colored versus uncolored seed coats, and tall versus short stems. Wrinkled peas available in Mendel's time resulted from a transposon insertion in the gene encoding starch-branching enzyme I. Allelic variants in the gene encoding magnesium dechelatase are known to condition pea seeds with green cotyledons, while yellow pods are conditioned by a deletion variant that disrupts chlorophyll synthase gene function. Cultivars with unpigmented seed coats and white flowers are explained by a splicing defect in a gene encoding a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. Short cultivars used by Mendel were deficient in bioactive forms of the phytohormone gibberellin because they carried a missense allele of a gene encoding gibberellin 3-oxidase. The allelic diversity of the pea genes Mendel studied and the genetic heterogeneity of corresponding traits are discussed below. The identification of two of Mendel's genes remains to be formally confirmed.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a041872