Genetic structure revealed by a whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism survey of diverse accessions of cultivated Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.)

To reveal the sequence diversity and population structure of Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars, we surveyed genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 140 diverse accessions. We identified 4357 SNPs distributed on the 12 chromosomes by sequencing PCR amplicons from the exons and introns of anonymous rice genes. We detected 4.87 SNPs per 1 kb genome-wide. By classifying the 140 accessions on the basis of these SNPs, we identified seven cultivar groups that reflected the geographical distribution of the accessions. Three cultivar groups were defined from tropical japonica that corresponded to previous categories, and three indica cultivar groups were also defined within indica. The linkage disequilibrium (LD) distance between SNPs was approximately 250 kb, except for a longer LD detected in the Indica I cultivar group (corresponding to the previously identified aus group). The allele frequency of the SNPs varied among cultivar groups, reflecting the level of genetic diversity in each group. These SNPs for the diverse accessions enhance our understanding of natural variation in rice.