biostudies-literatureUnknown23(5)Guan HTassel branch number (TBN) is one of the important agronomic traits that contribute to the efficiency of seed production and has been selected strongly during the modern maize breeding process. However, the genetic mechanisms of TBN in maize are not entirely clear. In this study, we used a B73 × CML247 recombination inbred lines (RILs) population to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for TBN. A total of four QTLs (qTBN2a, qTBN2b, qTBN4, and qTBN6) and six candidate genes were identified through expression analysis. Further, one of the candidates (GRMZM2G010011, ZmPAT7) encoding an S-acyltransferase was selected to validate its function by CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and its loss-of-function lines showed a significant increase in TBN. A key SNP(-101) variation in the promoter of ZmPAT7 was sInternational journal of molecular sciences2586https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8910302biostudies-literatureGenetic Variation in ZmPAT7 Contributes to Tassel Branch Number in Maize.PMC8910302Liu XLi YZhang DLi CGuan HWang TChen XWang KSong YShi YfalseGenetic Variation in ZmPAT7 Contributes to Tassel Branch Number in Maize.Tassel branch number (TBN) is one of the important agronomic traits that contribute to the efficiency of seed production and has been selected strongly during the modern maize breeding process. However, the genetic mechanisms of TBN in maize are not entirely clear. In this study, we used a B73 × CML247 recombination inbred lines (RILs) population to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for TBN. A total of four QTLs (qTBN2a, qTBN2b, qTBN4, and qTBN6) and six candidate genes were identified through expression analysis. Further, one of the candidates (GRMZM2G010011, ZmPAT7) encoding an S-acyltransferase was selected to validate its function by CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and its loss-of-function lines showed a significant increase in TBN. A key SNP(-101) variation in the promoter of ZmPAT7 was s2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Feb2025-04-18T20:26:36.339Z2025-04-07T08:24:20.503ZS-EPMC89103023526973010.3390/ijms23052586