Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any issues.

loading page

Combining QTL mapping and transcriptomics to decipher the genetic architecture of phenolic compounds metabolism in a conifer
  • +8
  • Justine Laoué,
  • Claire Depardieu,
  • Sébastien Gérardi,
  • Manuel Lamothe,
  • Claude Bomal,
  • Aida Azaiez,
  • Marie-Claude Gros-Louis,
  • Brian Boyle,
  • Almuth Hammerbacher,
  • Nathalie Isabel,
  • Jean Bousquet
Justine Laoué
Université Laval

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Claire Depardieu
Laval University
Author Profile
Sébastien Gérardi
Laval University
Author Profile
Manuel Lamothe
Laurentian Forestry Centre
Author Profile
Claude Bomal
Laval University
Author Profile
Aida Azaiez
Laval University
Author Profile
Marie-Claude Gros-Louis
Laurentian Forestry Centre
Author Profile
Brian Boyle
Laval University
Author Profile
Almuth Hammerbacher
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Author Profile
Nathalie Isabel
Laurentian Forestry Centre
Author Profile
Jean Bousquet
Laval University
Author Profile

Abstract

Conifer forests worldwide are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Although phenolic compounds (PCs) have been shown to be modulated by biotic and abiotic stresses, the genetic basis underlying the variation in their basal composition remains poorly documented in conifers. We used QTL mapping and RNA-Seq to explore the complex polygenic network underlying the constitutive production of PCs in white spruce (Picea glauca) full-sib progeny for two years. QTL detection was conducted for nine PCs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between individuals with high and low PC contents for five PCs exhibiting stable QTLs across time. A total of 17 QTLs were detected for eight metabolites, including one major QTL explaining up to 91.3% of the neolignan-2 variance. The RNA-Seq analysis highlighted 50 DEGs associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, several key transcription factors, and 137 genes showing opposite expression patterns in individuals with high levels of the flavonoids gallocatechin and taxifolin glucoside. A total of 19 DEGs co-localised with QTLs. Our findings represent a significant step towards resolving the genomic architecture of PC production in spruce and enhancing the functional characterization of genes and transcriptional networks responsible for differences in constitutive production of PCs in conifers.