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Lethal Alleles02:41

Lethal Alleles

Agouti: A Lethal Allele
Lucien Cuénot discovered lethal alleles in 1905 while studying the inheritance of coat color in mice. The agouti gene is responsible for the color of the coat in mice. This gene codes for an agouti-signaling protein, which is responsible for melanin distribution in mammals. The wild-type allele gives rise to gray-brown coat color in mice, while the mutant allele gives rise to yellow coat color. In addition to coat color, the agouti gene is associated with the yellow...
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Epistasis Analysis

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Lignin Down-regulation of Zea mays via dsRNAi and Klason Lignin Analysis
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Published on: July 23, 2014

Kernel lysine content does not increase in some maize opaque2 mutants.

Gang Zhao1, Mingshun Li, Degui Zhang

  • 1Maize Center, Department of Crop Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China.

Planta
|August 27, 2011
PubMed
Summary

The opaque2 (o2) mutation in maize (Zea mays L.) increases kernel lysine content. However, other genes may also influence lysine and zein synthesis in specific genetic backgrounds.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Genetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Agricultural Science

Background:

  • The opaque2 (o2) gene mutation in maize (Zea mays L.) is known to alter endosperm protein composition.
  • This alteration typically leads to increased kernel lysine content, a crucial amino acid for animal nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of the o2 mutation on kernel lysine content and zein synthesis in elite maize inbred lines.
  • To identify potential genetic backgrounds where the o2 mutation's effects on lysine content are diminished or absent.

Main Methods:

  • Marker-assisted selection (MAS) was used to introgress the o2 mutant allele into 12 elite normal maize inbred lines, creating near-isogenic lines (NILs).
  • Kernel lysine content was analyzed in the NILs and their recurrent parents.
  • Zein protein profiles were analyzed using SDS-PAGE.
  • F1 hybrids were created to assess the role of other genes in lysine content.

Main Results:

  • Most o2 NILs showed significantly increased kernel lysine content compared to normal inbreds.
  • Lysine content remained unchanged in the Dan598o2 and Liao2345o2 NILs.
  • Zein analysis revealed reduced or absent synthesis of 22-kD α-zein and greatly reduced 19-kD α-zein in most o2 NILs, except for Dan598o2 and Liao2345o2.
  • F1 hybrid analysis suggested the involvement of genes other than opaque2 in regulating lysine content in specific NILs.

Conclusions:

  • The opaque2 gene plays a significant role in increasing kernel lysine content and altering zein synthesis in most maize genetic backgrounds.
  • In specific genetic backgrounds like Dan598o2 and Liao2345o2, other genes may exert a more dominant influence on zein synthesis and kernel lysine content, masking the typical effects of the o2 mutation.