Consensus genomic regions for grain quality traits in wheat revealed by Meta‐QTL analysis and in silico transcriptome integration

Grain quality traits are the key factors that determine the economic value of wheat and are largely influenced by genetics and the environment. In this study, using a meta-analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and a comprehensive in silico transcriptome assessment, we identified key genomic regions and putative candidate genes for the grain quality traits protein content, gluten content, and test weight. A total of 508 original QTLs were collected from 41 articles on QTL mapping for the three quality traits in wheat published from 2003 to 2021. When these original QTLs were projected onto a high-density consensus map consisting of 14,548 markers, 313 QTLs resulted in the identification of 64 MQTLs distributed across 17 of the 21 chromosomes. Most of the meta-QTLs (MQTLs) were distributed on sub-genomes A and B. Compared with the original QTLs, the confidence interval (CI) of the MQTLs was smaller, with an average CI of 4.47 cM, while the projected QTLs CI was 11.13 cM (2.49-fold lower). The corresponding physical length of the MQTL ranged from 0.45 to 239.01 Mb. Thirty-one of these 64 MQTLs were validated in at least one genome-wide association study. In addition, five of the 64 MQTLs were selected and designated as core MQTLs. The 211 quality-related genes from rice were used to identify wheat homologs in MQTLs. In combination with transcriptional and omics analyses, 135 putative candidate genes were identified from 64 MQTL regions. The findings should contribute to a better understanding of the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying grain quality and the improvement of these traits in wheat breeding.