scholarly journals Transcriptome and Metabolite Insights into Domestication Process of Cultivated Barley in China

Plants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Guang Lu ◽  
Genlou Sun ◽  
Daokun Sun ◽  
Xifeng Ren

The domestication process of cultivated barley in China remains under debate because of the controversial origins of barley. Here, we analyzed transcriptomic and non-targeted metabolic data from 29 accessions together with public resequencing data from 124 accessions to explore the domestication process of cultivated barley in China (Cb-C). These analyses revealed that both Cb-C and Tibetan wild barley (Wb-T) were the descendants of wild barley from the Near East Fertile Crescent (Wb-NE), yielding little support for a local origin of Wb-T. Wb-T was more likely an intermediate in the domestication process from Wb-NE to Cb-C. Wb-T contributed more genetically to Cb-C than Wb-NE, and was domesticated into Cb-C about 3300 years ago. These results together seem to support that Wb-T may be a feralized or hybrid form of cultivated barley from the Near East Fertile Crescent or central Asia. Additionally, the metabolite analysis revealed divergent metabolites of alkaloids and phenylpropanoids and these metabolites were specifically targeted for selection in the evolutionary stages from Wb-NE to Wb-T and from Wb-T to Cb-C. The key missense SNPs in the genes HORVU6Hr1G027650 and HORVU4Hr1G072150 might be responsible for the divergence of metabolites of alkaloids and phenylpropanoids during domestication. Our findings allow for a better understanding of the domestication process of cultivated barley in China.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhou ◽  
Guang Lu ◽  
Genlou Sun ◽  
Daokun Sun ◽  
Xifeng Ren

Abstract Background Barley is one of the earliest domesticated crops and regarded as one of the founder of Neolithic transition in the Near East Fertile Crescent. Domestication process of cultivated barley (especially east-Asian cultivated barley) has been under debate because of the controversial origin centers of barley, which caused by widely dispersal of wild barley. What’s more, no comprehensive study regarding alteration in metabolism during domestication has been delineated in barley so far. Results Transcriptomic and non-targeted metabolic analyses were performed for two wild barley populations (wild barley of Near East Fertile Crescent (Wb-NE), and wild barley of Tibetan Plateau (Wb-T)), and one cultivated barley population (cultivated barley of China (Cb-C)), the results revealed two stages of the domestication process of Cb-C, first from Wb-NE to Wb-T, and then from Wb-T to Cb-C. The Wb-T played an important intermediate role in the domestication from Wb-NE to Cb-C, and had made more genetic contribution than Wb-NE to Cb-C. Meanwhile, we found continuous gene flow, a large number of selective genes and metabolites during domestication. Divergent metabolites of alkaloids and phenylpropanoids were specific targeted in stages from Wb-NE to Wb-T and from Wb-T to Cb-C, respectively. The key missense SNPs in genes HORVU6Hr1G027650 and HORVU4Hr1G072150 might be related to the divergence of metabolites of alkaloids and phenylpropanoids during domestication. Conclusions Our results revealed that two stages of the domestication process of Cb-C, and distinct sets of metabolites were targeted by selection during the evolution from wild barley of the Near East Fertile Crescent to Tibetan wild barley to cultivated barley of China. Our findings not only provided genetic and metabolic insights into domestication process of barley but also highlighted the power of combining omics data for trait dissection.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 595
Author(s):  
Shama Naz ◽  
Qiufang Shen ◽  
Jonas Lwalaba Wa Lwalaba ◽  
Guoping Zhang

Nitrogen (N) availability and form have a dramatic effect on N uptake and assimilation in plants, affecting growth and development. In the previous studies, we found great differences in low-N tolerance between Tibetan wild barley accessions and cultivated barley varieties. We hypothesized that there are different responses to N forms between the two kinds of barleys. Accordingly, this study was carried out to determine the response of four barley genotypes (two wild, XZ16 and XZ179; and two cultivated, ZD9 andHua30) under 4Nforms (NO3−, NH4+, urea and glycine). The results showed significant reduction in growth parameters such as root/shoot length and biomass, as well as photosynthesis parameters and total soluble protein content under glycine treatment relative to other N treatments, for both wild and cultivated barley, however, XZ179 was least affected. Similarly, ammonium adversely affected growth parameters in both wild and cultivated barleys, with XZ179 being severely affected. On the other hand, both wild and cultivated genotypes showed higher biomass, net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll and protein in NO3− treatment relative to other three N treatments. It may be concluded that barley undisputedly grows well under inorganic nitrogen (NO3−), however in response to the organic N wild barley prefer glycine more than cultivated barely.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojian Wu ◽  
Huan Wang ◽  
Fanrong Zeng ◽  
Junmei Wang

Abstract β-amylase activity is related to the polymorphism of Bmy1 intron III; however, no attention has been given to such relationship under environmental stresses like drought. In this study, 73 cultivated barley genotypes and 52 Tibetan wild barley accessions were used to test the association between Bmy1 gene intron III polymorphisms and β-amylase activity under drought stress. Our results showed that three alleles, Bmy1.a, Bmy1.b and Bmy1.c, existed in the examined barley genotypes. Tibetan wild barley had higher proportion of Bmy1.b, whereas cultivated barley showed higher proportion of Bmy1.a. Impressively, barley genotypes with Bmy1.b showed significant increase in β-amylase activity under drought stress, compared with those with Bmy1.a or Bmy1.c, indicating that Bmy1.b allele might provide more chances for developing barley cultivars with higher β-amylase activity under water stress than both Bmy1.a and Bmy1.c alleles. Furthermore, the Tibetan wild barley XZ147, belonging to Bmy1.b allele type, showed significant higher β-amylase activity than the cultivar Triumph under drought stress. This might result from the unique amino acid substitution M527 or the amino acid composition of R115, D165, A233, S347 and M527 of XZ147.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyuan Wu ◽  
Jiahua Yu ◽  
Qiufang Shen ◽  
Lu Huang ◽  
Dezhi Wu ◽  
...  

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