Quantitative trait locus analysis of fatty acid concentrations in maize

A study was conducted to determine the number and chromosomal location of quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing the concentration of five fatty acids in 200 F2S1 lines derived from an Illinois High Oil (IHO) by Illinois Low Oil (Early Maturity) (ILO(EM)) cross. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed on the 200 S1 lines and concentrations of palmitic (16:0), stearic (18:0), oleic (18:1), linoleic (18:2), and linolenic (18:3) acids were determined in self-pollinated kernels harvested from plants grown in replicated field trials during 1992 and 1993. A series of 74 cDNA and genomic clones were used and these revealed 80 polymorphic loci spaced, on average, 24 cM apart throughout the maize genome. Analysis of variance detected significant (p < 0.05) associations between several RFLP loci and the concentration of each fatty acid. A total of 15 RFLP loci clustered in 12 chromosomal regions were associated with the concentration of 16:0, 17 loci clustered in 10 regions were associated with the concentration of 18:0, 12 loci clustered in eight regions were associated with the concentration of 18:1 and 18:2, and 17 loci clustered in eight regions were associated with the concentration of 18:3. Multiple linear regression models consisting of four RFLP loci explained 24 and 62% of the total phenotypic and genotypic variation (R2) among the 200 F2S1 lines for 16:0, five loci explained 51 and 71% of the variation for 18:0, three loci explained 67 and 79% of the variation for 18:1, two loci explained 67 and 81% of the variation for 18:2, and seven loci explained 52 and 78% of the variation for 18:3 in these 200 F2S1 lines. The ratio of 18:1 to 18:2 was tightly interrelated as the same QTL were associated with the concentrations of 18:1 and 18:2. A quantitative trait locus that explained 63% of the phenotypic variation in the ratio of 18:1 to 18:2 is tightly linked to umc65 on chromosome 6 in the region of the linoleic acid1 locus.