Genomics Approaches to Domestication Studies of Horticultural Crops

The majority of crops we eat today are derived from the domestication of their wild progenitors. Crop domestication satisfies the human need for food and nutrition. Characterization of the history and genetic basis of crop domestication is essential for us to conduct modern breeding practices. Genomics provide unprecedented opportunities for us to study domestication. In this review, the typical domestication syndromes of horticultural crops will be introduced. Using the tomato as a typical example, we will discuss how genetic and genomic data were used to decipher the origins, progenitors, and domestication processes of this crop. In the domestication exploration of the genetic basis especially,genome-scaled diversity scanning approaches have gained great popularity. Combining these approaches with QTL(Quantitative trait locus)-mapping, GWAS(Genome wide association study), metabolomics and homology-based searches as well as pan-genomics have demonstrated tremendous advantages and significantly contribute to our understanding of domestication. Genomics studies will accelerate domestication research and further breeding of crops.

Quantitative Trait Loci Analysis Identifies a Prominent Gene Involved in the Production of Fatty Acid-Derived Flavor Volatiles in Tomato

To gain insight into the genetic regulation of lipid metabolism in tomato, we conducted metabolic trait loci （mQTL） analysis following the lipidomic profiling of fruit pericarp and leaf tissue of the Solanum pennellii introgression lines （IL）. To enhance mapping resolution for selected fruit-specific mQTL, we profiled the lipids in a subset of independently derived S. pennellii backcross inbred lines, as well as in a nearsogenic sub-iL population. We identified a putative lecithin：cholesterol acyltransferase that controls the levels of several lipids, and two members of the class III lipase family, LIP1 and LIP2, that were associated with decreased levels of diacylglycerols （DAGs） and triacylglycerols （TAGs）. Lipases of this class cleave fatty acids from the glycerol backbone of acylglycerols. The released fatty acids serve as precursors of flavor volatiles. We show that LIP1 expression correlates with fatty acid-derived volatile levels. We further confirm the function of LIP1 in TAG and DAG breakdown and volatile synthesis using transgenic plants. Taken together, our study extensively characterized the genetic architecture of Upophilic compounds in tomato and demonstrated at molecular level that release of free fatty acids from the glycerol backbone can have a major impact on downstream volatile synthesis.