Originally published as Genetics Published Articles Ahead of Print on March 17, 2006.

Genetics, Vol. 173, 975-983, June 2006, Copyright © 2006
doi:10.1534/genetics.106.056473

Selection Under Domestication: Evidence for a Sweep in the Rice Waxy Genomic Region

* Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, {dagger} Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1901 and {ddagger} USDA–Agriculture Research Service, Beaumont, Texas 77713

2 Corresponding author: Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, 3513 Gardner Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695.
E-mail: michaelp{at}unity.ncsu.edu

Rice (Oryza sativa) was cultivated by Asian Neolithic farmers >11,000 years ago, and different cultures have selected for divergent starch qualities in the rice grain during and after the domestication process. An intron 1 splice donor site mutation of the Waxy gene is responsible for the absence of amylose in glutinous rice varieties. This mutation appears to have also played an important role in the origin of low amylose, nonglutinous temperate japonica rice varieties, which form a primary component of Northeast Asian cuisines. Waxy DNA sequence analyses indicate that the splice donor mutation is prevalent in temperate japonica rice varieties, but rare or absent in tropical japonica, indica, aus, and aromatic varieties. Sequence analysis across a 500-kb genomic region centered on Waxy reveals patterns consistent with a selective sweep in the temperate japonicas associated with the mutation. The size of the selective sweep (>250 kb) indicates very strong selection in this region, with an inferred selection coefficient that is higher than similar estimates from maize domestication genes or wild species. These findings demonstrate that selection pressures associated with crop domestication regimes can exceed by one to two orders of magnitude those observed for genes under even strong selection in natural systems.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Plant Physiol.Home page
X.-N. Zhang and S. M. Mount
Two Alternatively Spliced Isoforms of the Arabidopsis SR45 Protein Have Distinct Roles during Normal Plant Development
Plant Physiology, July 1, 2009; 150(3): 1450 - 1458.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
F. Tian, N. M. Stevens, and E. S. Buckler IV
In the Light of Evolution III: Two Centuries of Darwin Sackler Colloquium: Tracking footprints of maize domestication and evidence for a massive selective sweep on chromosome 10
PNAS, June 16, 2009; 106(Supplement_1): 9979 - 9986.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
L.-M. Chevin and F. Hospital
Selective Sweep at a Quantitative Trait Locus in the Presence of Background Genetic Variation
Genetics, November 1, 2008; 180(3): 1645 - 1660.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Plant CellHome page
M. A. Chapman, C. H. Pashley, J. Wenzler, J. Hvala, S. Tang, S. J. Knapp, and J. M. Burke
A Genomic Scan for Selection Reveals Candidates for Genes Involved in the Evolution of Cultivated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
PLANT CELL, November 1, 2008; 20(11): 2931 - 2945.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
L. Camus-Kulandaivelu, L.-M. Chevin, C. Tollon-Cordet, A. Charcosset, D. Manicacci, and M. I. Tenaillon
Patterns of Molecular Evolution Associated With Two Selective Sweeps in the Tb1-Dwarf8 Region in Maize
Genetics, October 1, 2008; 180(2): 1107 - 1121.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
L. F. de Alencar Figueiredo, C. Calatayud, C. Dupuits, C. Billot, J.-F. Rami, D. Brunel, X. Perrier, B. Courtois, M. Deu, and J.-C. Glaszmann
Phylogeographic Evidence of Crop Neodiversity in Sorghum
Genetics, June 1, 2008; 179(2): 997 - 1008.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Plant Physiol.Home page
I. M. Ehrenreich and M. D. Purugganan
Sequence Variation of MicroRNAs and Their Binding Sites in Arabidopsis
Plant Physiology, April 1, 2008; 146(4): 1974 - 1982.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
J. C. Burger, M. A. Chapman, and J. M. Burke
Molecular insights into the evolution of crop plants
Am. J. Botany, February 1, 2008; 95(2): 113 - 122.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
H. S. Makinen, T. Shikano, J. M. Cano, and J. Merila
Hitchhiking Mapping Reveals a Candidate Genomic Region for Natural Selection in Three-Spined Stickleback Chromosome VIII
Genetics, January 1, 2008; 178(1): 453 - 465.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
K. A. Mather, A. L. Caicedo, N. R. Polato, K. M. Olsen, S. McCouch, and M. D. Purugganan
The Extent of Linkage Disequilibrium in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Genetics, December 1, 2007; 177(4): 2223 - 2232.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
GeneticsHome page
D. Saisho and M. D. Purugganan
Molecular Phylogeography of Domesticated Barley Traces Expansion of Agriculture in the Old World
Genetics, November 1, 2007; 177(3): 1765 - 1776.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
R. Papa, E. Bellucci, M. Rossi, S. Leonardi, D. Rau, P. Gepts, L. Nanni, and G. Attene
Tagging the Signatures of Domestication in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) by Means of Pooled DNA Samples
Ann. Bot., October 1, 2007; 100(5): 1039 - 1051.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J. Ross-Ibarra, P. L. Morrell, and B. S. Gaut
Colloquium Papers: Plant domestication, a unique opportunity to identify the genetic basis of adaptation
PNAS, May 15, 2007; 104(suppl_1): 8641 - 8648.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol Biol EvolHome page
L.-B. Zhang and S. Ge
Multilocus Analysis of Nucleotide Variation and Speciation in Oryza officinalis and Its Close Relatives
Mol. Biol. Evol., March 1, 2007; 24(3): 769 - 783.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol Biol EvolHome page
Q. Zhu, X. Zheng, J. Luo, B. S. Gaut, and S. Ge
Multilocus Analysis of Nucleotide Variation of Oryza sativa and Its Wild Relatives: Severe Bottleneck during Domestication of Rice
Mol. Biol. Evol., March 1, 2007; 24(3): 875 - 888.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]