Genomic screening for artificial selection during domestication and improvement in maize

Area of Science:

• Plant genetics
• Evolutionary biology
• Agricultural science

Background:

• Maize (Zea mays) evolution is driven by artificial selection since domestication from teosinte.
• Domestication and crop improvement reduced genetic diversity in maize.
• Selection targeted genes controlling key morphological and agronomic traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review population genetics research on identifying genes affected by artificial selection in maize.
• To characterize the impact of artificial selection on maize genetic diversity.

Main Methods:

• Population genetics approaches were used to analyze DNA sequence diversity.
• Genes with zero sequence diversity in maize inbred lines were identified as candidates for selection.
• Candidate genes were sequenced in maize landraces and teosintes.

Main Results:

• Approximately 2% of maize genes show evidence of artificial selection.
• The majority of genes show evidence of a population bottleneck.
• About half of candidate genes identified through zero diversity screening exhibited selection signals.
• Selected genes are involved in plant growth, nutritional quality, and maturity.

Conclusions:

• Large-scale screening effectively identifies genes of agronomic importance, even without prior knowledge of function.
• The identified genes provide insights into the genetic basis of maize improvement.
• The applied methods are potentially transferable to other domesticated species.