Our long-term objective is to understand how genes control natural variation in complex phenotypes and how these phenotypes evolve. This continuing project will investigate the genetic, developmental and molecular basis of naturally occurring variation for complex morphological traits using maize as the model system. Since traits such as blood pressure and body weight, which influence susceptibility to disease in humans, are complex, a better understanding of the inheritance of complex traits in experimental organisms like maize will facilitate the treatment and management of human disease. It is crucial to conduct studies of complex traits in experimental organisms like maize since confirmation of working hypotheses by transformation, controlled crosses and other analyses cannot be done in humans.
Our specific aims during the proposed project are as follows. (1) We will do map-based cloning of teosinte glume architecture1 (tga1), a quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling a complex phenotype in maize. (2) We will test whether several cloned QTL candidate genes are the QTL in question by using transformation and genetic complementation tests. These candidates include teosinte branched1, the maize homolog (zfl2) of the Arabidopsis leafy gene, tga1, and a maize MADS-box gene (zmb1). (3) We will perform molecular and developmental characterization of the genes that represent QTL with an emphasis on comparing the developmental effects of alternate naturally occurring alleles. (4) We will analyze naturally occurring functional variation at the QTL candidate genes using association studies. Our emphasis in these experiments will be on the use of large population sizes, screening multiple polymorphisms across the genes, and testing for epistatic interactions among the polymorphisms. (5) Finally, we will analyze the patterning of genetic diversity in genomic regions that have experienced recent and strong selective sweeps to understand how the genome responds to past selective pressure.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM058816-09
Application #
7162619
Study Section
Genetics Study Section (GEN)
Program Officer
Eckstrand, Irene A
Project Start
1999-01-01
Project End
2008-12-31
Budget Start
2007-01-01
Budget End
2008-12-31
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$237,966
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department
Genetics
Type
Schools of Earth Sciences/Natur
DUNS #
161202122
City
Madison
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53715
Zhao, Qiong; Weber, Allison L; McMullen, Michael D et al. (2011) MADS-box genes of maize: frequent targets of selection during domestication. Genet Res (Camb) 93:65-75
Weber, Allison L; Zhao, Qiong; McMullen, Michael D et al. (2009) Using association mapping in teosinte to investigate the function of maize selection-candidate genes. PLoS One 4:e8227
Weber, Allison L; Briggs, William H; Rucker, Jesse et al. (2008) The genetic architecture of complex traits in teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis): new evidence from association mapping. Genetics 180:1221-32
Zhao, Qiong; Thuillet, Anne-Celine; Uhlmann, Nathan K et al. (2008) The role of regulatory genes during maize domestication: evidence from nucleotide polymorphism and gene expression. Genetics 178:2133-43
Weber, Allison; Clark, Richard M; Vaughn, Laura et al. (2007) Major regulatory genes in maize contribute to standing variation in teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis). Genetics 177:2349-59
Clark, Richard M; Wagler, Tina Nussbaum; Quijada, Pablo et al. (2006) A distant upstream enhancer at the maize domestication gene tb1 has pleiotropic effects on plant and inflorescent architecture. Nat Genet 38:594-7
Bomblies, Kirsten; Doebley, John F (2006) Pleiotropic effects of the duplicate maize FLORICAULA/LEAFY genes zfl1 and zfl2 on traits under selection during maize domestication. Genetics 172:519-31
Doebley, John F; Gaut, Brandon S; Smith, Bruce D (2006) The molecular genetics of crop domestication. Cell 127:1309-21
Bomblies, Kirsten; Doebley, John F (2005) Molecular evolution of FLORICAULA/LEAFY orthologs in the Andropogoneae (Poaceae). Mol Biol Evol 22:1082-94
Flint-Garcia, Sherry A; Thuillet, Anne-Celine; Yu, Jianming et al. (2005) Maize association population: a high-resolution platform for quantitative trait locus dissection. Plant J 44:1054-64

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