Selection Drives Gene Escape from Centromeres
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiao et al. performed comparative phylogenomic analysis on rice centromeres. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00163
By Yi Liao and Mingsheng Chen
Background: Centromeres are necessary for faithful chromosome segregation in eukaryotic organisms. The genomic regions conferring centromere…
Desiccation tolerance evolved through gene duplication and network rewiring in Lindernia (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyDesiccation tolerance is the property of being able to survive and recover from extreme dehydration. Although there are many desiccation-tolerant plant species, efforts to identify the genetic basis of desiccation tolerance have been limited by a lack of closely-related desiccation sensitive species.…
Tea genome expansion linked to TE bursts (Plant Biotechnol. J.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyExpansion of plant genomes is thought to be linked to massive bursts of transposable elements activity. This implies consequences on the distribution of epigenetic modifications required for the silencing of the causative transposons. Consequences of transposon bursts have been extensively described…
DNA methylation footprints during soybean domestication and improvement (Genome Biol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyCrop domestication relies on harnessing the natural genomic diversity present in the cultivated population. The contribution of genetic variation for selection and improvement of traits in plants has been extensively studied. Besides this, variation in epigenetic components such as DNA methylation offers…
Review - Getting to the Roots: A Developmental Genetic View of Root Anatomy and Function From Arabidopsis to Lycophytes (Frontiers in Plant Sci)
Blog, Plant Science Research WeeklyPlant roots are essential organs for water and nutrient uptake, and aboveground biomass support. While these organs are important for many plant functions, the evolutionary history of the root is still unclear. The fossil record suggests that roots evolved in both the lycophyte (clubmosses and their…
Plant sex regions can “jump” in strawberry (PLOS Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklySex chromosome restructure has happened frequently during the evolution of eukaryotes, often resulting in highly differentiated sex chromosomes. However, little is known about this process in plants. The wild North American octoploid strawberries (Fragaria) have separate sexes with homomorphic, female…
Viral sequences in the Arabidopsis genome ($) (Mol. Phylogenetics Evol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyNumerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic genes have been identified as having homology to viral sequences. This phenomenon is the result of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between viral pathogens and host cells. Chu and collaborators performed a proteome-wide analysis for the identification of viral domains…
CLAVATA allowed 3D growth in land plants (Curr. Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLand plants had to acquire new ways to occupy the terrestrial environment, including the innovative shooting system with organs in a radial position. This new 3D form of growth was possible thanks to the capacity to rotate stem cells divisions through different orientation planes. In Arabidopsis the…
Review: What do cars and plants have in common? (PLOS One)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants and cars need energy and are powered by a process that has changed depending on the environment: photosynthesis, in the case of plants and an engine in the case of cars. Hartzell and coworkers make an analogy in the evolution of the original C3 pathway and the evolution of the internal combustion…