29th Annual Student Research Conference
Characterization of the MaQ8 locus important for apple acidity
Lauren L. McLain
Dr. Elisabeth A. Hooper, Dr. Wendy Miner, and Dr. Kenong Xu (Cornell University), Faculty Mentors
The flavor of apples is highly correlated with their fruit acidity levels. Previous studies have shown that variation in acidity is associated with the major quantitative trait locus (QTL) Ma located on chromosome 16. Within this multigene region there is a candidate gene, Ma1, that mainly controls the acidity in apples. It has recently been discovered that there are other minor QTLs that also affect acidity. One of these, MaQ8 spans 2.1 Mb on chromosome 8. MaQ8 plays a major role in apples with the highest acidity levels; however, its effect is unpredictable. Dr. Xu and his research team have recently developed new markers to ascertain where the candidate gene of the MaQ8 region is located within the QTL. My project involved identifying bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones and mapping the BAC clones to the MaQ8 QTL.
Keywords: Apple, Fruit acidity, MaQ8, QTL, BAC clones
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -3
Location: MG 2001
Time: 10:00