Mapping of genetic loci that regulate quantity of beta-carotene in fruit of US Western Shipping melon (Cucumis melo L.)

• Published in: Theoretical and applied genetics Vol. 117; no. 8; pp. 1345 - 1359
• Main Authors: Cuevas, H. E, Staub, J. E, Simon, P. W, Zalapa, J. E, McCreight, J. D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01-11-2008; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural research; Agriculture; Analysis of Variance; beta Carotene - biosynthesis; beta-carotene; Biochemistry; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Biotechnology; California; Carotenoids; Chromosome Mapping; Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids; Cucumis melo; Cucumis melo - genetics; Cucumis melo - metabolism; DNA, Plant - genetics; Enzymes; Expressed Sequence Tags; Fruit - genetics; Fruit - metabolism; fruit composition; Fruits; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene loci; genes; Genetic Markers; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Genomics; Germplasm; heritability; inbred lines; Life Sciences; linkage groups; loci; melons; Methods, theories and miscellaneous; microsatellite repeats; Minisatellite Repeats; nutrient content; Original Paper; phenotypic variation; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Pteridophyta, spermatophyta; Quantitative Trait Loci; Quantitative Trait, Heritable; Sequence Analysis, DNA; single nucleotide polymorphism; Vegetals; Vitamin A; Wisconsin; Wisconsin; California; United States > US; Single Nucleotide Polymorphism; Quantitative Trait Locus; Carotenoid; Recombinant Inbred Line; Melon; Genetic mapping; Fruit; Carotene; Cucurbitaceae; Chenopodiaceae; Beta; Regulation(control); Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Genetics; Spermatophyta; Agriculture; Cucumis melo
• ISSN: 0040-5752; 1432-2242
• DOI: 10.1007/s00122-008-0868-2

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is highly nutritious vegetable species and an important source of β-carotene (Vitamin A), which is an important nutrient in the human diet. A previously developed set of 81 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from Group Cantalupensis US Western Shipper market type germplasm was examined in two locations [Wisconsin (WI) and California (CA), USA] over 2 years to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with quantity of beta-carotene (QβC) in mature fruit. A moderately saturated 256-point RIL-based map [104 SSR, 7 CAPS, 4 SNP in putative carotenoid candidate genes, 140 dominant markers and one morphological trait (a) spanning 12 linkage groups (LG)] was used for QβC-QTL analysis. Eight QTL were detected in this evaluation that were distributed across four LG that explained a significant portion of the associated phenotypic variation for QβC (R ² = 8 to 31.0%). Broad sense heritabilities for QβC obtained from RIL grown in WI. and CA were 0.56 and 0.68, respectively, and 0.62 over combined locations. The consistence of QβC in high/low RIL within location across years was confirmed in experiments conducted over 2 years. QTL map positions were not uniformly associated with putative carotenoid genes, although one QTL (β-car6.1) interval was located 10 cM from a β-carotene hydroxylase gene. These results suggest that accumulation of β-carotene in melon is under complex genetic control. This study provides the initial step for defining the genetic control of QβC in melon leading to the development of varieties with enhanced β-carotene content.