Quantitative trait loci involved in regulating seed oil composition in Arabidopsis thaliana and their evolutionary implications

Fatty acid composition is an important determinant of seed oil quality. Overall, 72 QTL for 12 fatty acid traits that control seed oil composition were identified in four recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations (L er -0 × Sha, L er -0 × Col-4, L er -2 × Cvi, L er -0 × No-0) of Arabidopsis thaliana . The identified QTL explained 3.2–79.8% of the phenotypic variance; 33 of the 59 QTL identified in the L er -0 × Sha and the L er -0 × Col RIL populations co-located with several a priori candidate genes for seed oil composition. QTL for fatty acids 18:1, 18:2, 22:1, and fatty acids synthesized in plastids was identified in both L er -0 × Sha and L er -0 × Col-4 RIL populations, and QTL for 16:0 was identified in the L er -0 × Sha and L er -0 × No-0 RIL populations providing strong support for the importance of these QTL in determining seed oil composition. We identified melting point QTL in three RIL populations, and fatty acid QTL collocated with two of them, suggesting that the loci could be under selection for altering the melting point of seed oils to enhance adaptation and could be useful for breeding purposes. Nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions and epistasis were rare. Analysis of the genetic correlations between these loci and other fatty acids indicated that these correlations would tend to strongly enhance selection for desirable fatty acids.