Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39985171›Full record

ArticlePlant communications2025

GWAS-based population genetic analysis identifies bZIP29 as a heterotic gene in maize.

Jie Zhang, Riliang Gu, Xinxin Miao, Renate H Schmidt, Zhenxiang Xu, Jiawen Lu, Yuting Ma, Tao Yang, Pingxi Wang, Yangyang Liu and 13 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Plant communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Additive and Partially Dominant Effects from Genomic Variation Contribute to Rice Heterosis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Jie ZhangState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; State Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Riliang GuState Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Xinxin MiaoNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Renate H SchmidtDepartment of Breeding Research, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), 06466 Stadt Seeland, Germany.
Zhenxiang XuState Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Jiawen LuState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Yuting MaState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Tao YangNational Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
Pingxi WangState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Yangyang LiuState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Xiaoli WangState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Xuemei DuState Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Nannan ZhengState Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Sihan ZhenState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Chengyong LiangNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Yuxin XieState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
Yongrui WuNational Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
Lin LiNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Jochen C ReifDepartment of Breeding Research, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), 06466 Stadt Seeland, Germany.
Yong JiangDepartment of Breeding Research, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), 06466 Stadt Seeland, Germany. Electronic address: jiang@ipk-gatersleben.de.
Jianhua WangState Key Laboratory of Maize Bio-breeding, Beijing Innovation Center for Crop Seed Technology of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address: wangjh63@cau.edu.cn.
Junjie FuState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: fujunjie@caas.cn.
Hongwei ZhangState Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: zhanghongwei@caas.cn.

Funding

Biological Breeding-National Science and Technology Major Project 2023ZD04076Non-US Government Research Support type
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding the role of heterotic genes in contributing to heterosis is essential for advancing hybrid breeding. We analyzed plant height (PH), ear height (EH), and transcriptomic data from a maize hybrid population. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) revealed that dominance effects of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) play a significant role in hybrid traits and mid-parent heterosis. By integrating GWAS, expression GWAS (eGWAS), and module eGWAS analysis, we prioritized six candidate heterotic genes underlying six QTLs, including one QTL that spans the bZIP29 gene. In the hybrid population, bZIP29 exhibits additive expression and dominance effects for both hybrid traits and mid-parent heterosis, with its favorable allele correlating positively with PH and EH. bZIP29 demonstrates dominance or over-dominance patterns in hybrids derived from crosses between transgenic and wild-type lines, contingent upon its expression. A tsCUT&Tag assay revealed that bZIP29 protein binds directly to a gene regulated by its associated expression QTL (eQTL) and six genes within expression modules governed by its associated module-eQTLs (meQTLs). Regulatory networks involving bZIP29 are more extensive in hybrid subpopulations than in the parental population. This study offers insights into key heterotic genes and networks that underpin the robust growth of hybrid maize.

Indexed as

Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription FactorsHybrid VigorPlant ProteinsZea maysGene Expression Regulation, PlantGenes, PlantGenetics, PopulationGenome-Wide Association StudyQuantitative Trait LociBasic-Leucine Zipper Transcription FactorsPlant ProteinsbZIP29dominanceheterotic genehybrid maizemid-parent heterosis

Identifiers

PMID39985171
PMCPMC12143148

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.