Genotype to Phenotype Maps: Multiple Input Abiotic Signals Combine to Produce Growth Effects via Attenuating Signaling Interactions in Maize

• Activity Number: 186
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 4, 2014 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Biometrics Section
• Author(s): Cuixian Chen*+
• Companies: University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• Keywords: Genotype ; phenotype ; Generalized mixed model

Abstract

Manipulation and modeling of other sources of variation, such as environmental variables, have the potential to improve our prediction of phenotype from genotype. As an example of our approach to analysis of the network linking environmental input to alleles, we mapped the genetic architecture of single and combined abiotic stress responses in two maize mapping populations and compared the observed genetic architecture patterns to simple theoretical predictions. Comparisons of single and combined stress effects on growth and biomass traits exhibit patterns of allele effects that suggest attenuating interactions among physiological signaling steps in drought and ultraviolet radiation stress responses. The presence of attenuating interactions implies that shared QTL found in sets of environments could be used to group environment types and identify underlying environmental similarities, and that patterns of stress-dependent genetic architecture should be studied as a way to prioritize pre-breeding populations.