Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes Associated with Dietary Fiber and Oligosaccharide Content in Dry Edible Bean.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is known as an important source of protein, mineral nutrients and dietary fiber in the human diet. These compounds have dietary health implications, including lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of advanced colorectal cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Common bean also contain oligosaccharides such as raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose are also known to enhance human health. This research was conducted to better understand the genetic control of dietary fiber and oligosaccharides in common bean. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) were conducted on 280 lines from Middle American common bean germplasm to map the genomic regions responsible for soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, and oligosaccharides. GWAS coupled with common bean whole genome sequence data could lead to higher resolution mapping and facilitate candidate gene discovery. We used 15,127 SNPs with minor allele frequency of 5% and greater in a population of 263 genotypes from the BeanCAP project to map fiber and oligosaccharide traits. We identified strong candidate genes for soluble and insoluble dietary fiber content, and oligosaccharides.