Mutualistic symbioses between eukaryotes and beneficial microorganisms of their microbiome play an essential role in nutrition, protection against disease, and development of the host. However, the ...impact of beneficial symbionts on the evolution of host genomes remains poorly characterized. Here we used the independent loss of the most widespread plant-microbe symbiosis, arbuscular mycorrhization (AM), as a model to address this question. Using a large phenotypic approach and phylogenetic analyses, we present evidence that loss of AM symbiosis correlates with the loss of many symbiotic genes in the Arabidopsis lineage (Brassicales). Then, by analyzing the genome and/or transcriptomes of nine other phylogenetically divergent non-host plants, we show that this correlation occurred in a convergent manner in four additional plant lineages, demonstrating the existence of an evolutionary pattern specific to symbiotic genes. Finally, we use a global comparative phylogenomic approach to track this evolutionary pattern among land plants. Based on this approach, we identify a set of 174 highly conserved genes and demonstrate enrichment in symbiosis-related genes. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that beneficial symbionts maintain purifying selection on host gene networks during the evolution of entire lineages.
Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil-producing crop for the world. Its adaptation, yield and quality have been considerably improved in recent decades, but the genomic basis underlying ...successful breeding selection remains unclear. Hence, we conducted a comprehensive genomic assessment of rapeseed in the breeding process based on the whole-genome resequencing of 418 diverse rapeseed accessions. We unraveled the genomic basis for the selection of adaptation and agronomic traits. Genome-wide association studies identified 628 associated loci-related causative candidate genes for 56 agronomically important traits, including plant architecture and yield traits. Furthermore, we uncovered nonsynonymous mutations in plausible candidate genes for agronomic traits with significant differences in allele frequency distributions across the improvement process, including the ribosome recycling factor (BnRRF) gene for seed weight. This study provides insights into the genomic basis for improving rapeseed varieties and a valuable genomic resource for genome-assisted rapeseed breeding.
Polyploidy has contributed to the evolution of eukaryotes, particularly flowering plants. The genomic consequences of polyploidy have been extensively studied, but the mechanisms for chromosome ...stability and diploidization in polyploids remain largely unknown. By using new cytogenetic tools to identify all of the homoeologous chromosomes, we conducted a cytological investigation of 50 resynthesized Brassica napus allopolyploids across generations Sâ:â to Sâ :â and in the Sââ:ââ generation. Changes in copy number of individual chromosomes were detected in the Sâ:â generation and increased in subsequent generations, despite the fact that the mean chromosome number among lines was approximately 38. The chromosome complement of individual plants (segregants) ranged from 36 to 42, with a bias toward the accumulation of extra chromosomes. Karyotype analysis of the Sââ:ââ generation detected aneuploidy and inter- and intragenomic rearrangements, chromosome breakage and fusion, rDNA changes, and loss of repeat sequences. Chromosome sets with extensive homoeology showed the greatest instability. Dosage balance requirements maintained chromosome numbers at or near the tetraploid level, and the loss and gain of chromosomes frequently involved homoeologous chromosome replacement and compensation. These data indicate that early generations of resynthesized B. napus involved aneuploidy and gross chromosomal rearrangements, and that dosage balance mechanisms enforced chromosome number stability. Seed yield and pollen viability were inversely correlated with increasing aneuploidy, and the greatest fertility was observed in two lines that were additive for parental chromosomes. These data on resynthesized B. napus and the correlation of fertility with additive karyotypes cast light on the origins and establishment of natural B. napus.
Despite early domestication around 3000 BC, the evolutionary history of the ancient allotetraploid species Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss remains uncertain. Here, we report a chromosome-scale de ...novo assembly of a yellow-seeded B. juncea genome by integrating long-read and short-read sequencing, optical mapping and Hi-C technologies. Nuclear and organelle phylogenies of 480 accessions worldwide supported that B. juncea is most likely a single origin in West Asia, 8,000-14,000 years ago, via natural interspecific hybridization. Subsequently, new crop types evolved through spontaneous gene mutations and introgressions along three independent routes of eastward expansion. Selective sweeps, genome-wide trait associations and tissue-specific RNA-sequencing analysis shed light on the domestication history of flowering time and seed weight, and on human selection for morphological diversification in this versatile species. Our data provide a comprehensive insight into the origin and domestication and a foundation for genomics-based breeding of B. juncea.
Recent studies have shown that one of the parental subgenomes in ancient polyploids is generally more dominant, having retained more genes and being more highly expressed, a phenomenon termed ...subgenome dominance. The genomic features that determine how quickly and which subgenome dominates within a newly formed polyploid remain poorly understood. To investigate the rate of emergence of subgenome dominance, we examined gene expression, gene methylation, and transposable element (TE) methylation in a natural, <140-year-old allopolyploid (Mimulus peregrinus), a resynthesized interspecies triploid hybrid (M. robertsii), a resynthesized allopolyploid (M. peregrinus), and progenitor species (M. guttatus and M. luteus). We show that subgenome expression dominance occurs instantly following the hybridization of divergent genomes and significantly increases over generations. Additionally, CHH methylation levels are reduced in regions near genes and within TEs in the first-generation hybrid, intermediate in the resynthesized allopolyploid, and are repatterned differently between the dominant and recessive subgenomes in the natural allopolyploid. Subgenome differences in levels of TE methylation mirror the increase in expression bias observed over the generations following hybridization. These findings provide important insights into genomic and epigenomic shock that occurs following hybridization and polyploid events and may also contribute to uncovering the mechanistic basis of heterosis and subgenome dominance.
Polyploidization and recombination are two important processes driving evolution through the building and reshaping of genomes. Allopolyploids arise from hybridization and chromosome doubling among ...distinct, yet related species. Polyploids may display novel variation relative to their progenitors, and the sources of this variation lie not only in the acquisition of extra gene dosages, but also in the genomic changes that occur after divergent genomes unite. Genomic changes (deletions, duplications, and translocations) have been detected in both recently formed natural polyploids and resynthesized polyploids. In resynthesized Brassica napus allopolyploids, there is evidence that many genetic changes are the consequence of homoeologous recombination. Homoeologous recombination can generate novel gene combinations and phenotypes, but may also destabilize the karyotype and lead to aberrant meiotic behavior and reduced fertility. Thus, natural selection plays a role in the establishment and maintenance of fertile natural allopolyploids that have stabilized chromosome inheritance and a few advantageous chromosomal rearrangements. We discuss the evidence for genome rearrangements that result from homoeologous recombination in resynthesized B. napus and how these observations may inform phenomena such as chromosome replacement, aneuploidy, non-reciprocal translocations and gene conversion seen in other polyploids.
Premise of the Study
We present the first plastome phylogeny encompassing all 77 monocot families, estimate branch support, and infer monocot‐wide divergence times and rates of species ...diversification.
Methods
We conducted maximum likelihood analyses of phylogeny and BAMM studies of diversification rates based on 77 plastid genes across 545 monocots and 22 outgroups. We quantified how branch support and ascertainment vary with gene number, branch length, and branch depth.
Key Results
Phylogenomic analyses shift the placement of 16 families in relation to earlier studies based on four plastid genes, add seven families, date the divergence between monocots and eudicots+Ceratophyllum at 136 Mya, successfully place all mycoheterotrophic taxa examined, and support recognizing Taccaceae and Thismiaceae as separate families and Arecales and Dasypogonales as separate orders. Only 45% of interfamilial divergences occurred after the Cretaceous. Net species diversification underwent four large‐scale accelerations in PACMAD‐BOP Poaceae, Asparagales sister to Doryanthaceae, Orchidoideae‐Epidendroideae, and Araceae sister to Lemnoideae, each associated with specific ecological/morphological shifts. Branch ascertainment and support across monocots increase with gene number and branch length, and decrease with relative branch depth. Analysis of entire plastomes in Zingiberales quantifies the importance of non‐coding regions in identifying and supporting short, deep branches.
Conclusions
We provide the first resolved, well‐supported monocot phylogeny and timeline spanning all families, and quantify the significant contribution of plastome‐scale data to resolving short, deep branches. We outline a new functional model for the evolution of monocots and their diagnostic morphological traits from submersed aquatic ancestors, supported by convergent evolution of many of these traits in aquatic Hydatellaceae (Nymphaeales).
It is difficult to overstate the cultural and biological impacts that the domestication of plants and animals has had on our species. Fundamental questions regarding where, when, and how many times ...domestication took place have been of primary interest within a wide range of academic disciplines. Within the last two decades, the advent of new archaeological and genetic techniques has revolutionized our understanding of the pattern and process of domestication and agricultural origins that led to our modern way of life. In the spring of 2011, 25 scholars with a central interest in domestication representing the fields of genetics, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology, and archaeology met at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center to discuss recent domestication research progress and identify challenges for the future. In this introduction to the resulting Special Feature, we present the state of the art in the field by discussing what is known about the spatial and temporal patterns of domestication, and controversies surrounding the speed, intentionality, and evolutionary aspects of the domestication process. We then highlight three key challenges for future research. We conclude by arguing that although recent progress has been impressive, the next decade will yield even more substantial insights not only into how domestication took place, but also when and where it did, and where and why it did not.
Whole genome duplications (WGDs) followed by diploidization, which includes gene loss, have been an important recurrent process in the evolution of higher eukaryotes. Gene retention is biased to ...specific functional gene categories during diploidization. Dosage-sensitive genes, which include transcription factors, are significantly over-retained following WGDs. By contrast, these same functional gene categories exhibit lower retention rates following smaller scale duplications (e.g., local and tandem duplicates, segmental duplicates, aneuploidy). In light of these recent observations, we review current theories that address the fate of nuclear genes following duplication events (i.e., Gain of Function Hypothesis, Subfunctionalization Hypothesis, Increased Gene Dosage Hypothesis, Functional Buffering Model, and the Gene Balance Hypothesis). We broadly review different mechanisms of dosage-compensation that have evolved to alleviate harmful dosage-imbalances. In addition, we examine a recently proposed extension of the Gene Balance Hypothesis to explain the shared single copy status for a specific functional class of genes across the flowering plants. We speculate that the preferential retention of dosage-sensitive genes (e.g., regulatory genes such as transcription factors) and gene loss following WGDs has played a significant role in the development of morphological complexity in eukaryotes and facilitating speciation, respectively. Lastly, we will review recent findings that suggest polyploid lineages had increased rates of survival and speciation following mass extinction events, including the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) extinction.
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