Widespread long-range cis-regulatory elements in the maize genome ($) (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe chromatin landscape is key in the regulation of gene expression. Many studies have been made in Arabidopsis, but its genomic architecture is different to other plants. Here Ricci et al. present a very comprehensive study of chromatin analysis in maize. This work includes a huge amount of sequencing…
The prevalence, evolution and chromatin signatures of plant regulatory elements ($) (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyWith a wide range of genome sizes and varying architectures, understanding the evolution and function of non-coding regions is not straightforward in plants. Nevertheless, many advances are coming out that will shed light on this complex scientific problem. Lu et al. performed ATAC-seq to study chromatin…
Genetic contribution of paleopolyploidy to adaptive evolution in angiosperms (Mol Plant)
Plant Science Research Weekly
Genetic contribution of paleopolyploidy to adaptive evolution in angiosperms
Comparative genomics has revealed that the angiosperms have experienced numerous whole-genome duplications (WGD), which have been proposed to have contributed to their global dominance. Following WGD, many of the…
Genomes of subaerial Zygnematophyceae provide insights into land plant evolution ($) (Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe availability of charophyte algae genomic information is helping to understand how the plant transition to a terrestrial environment occurred at the molecular level. Here, Cheng et al. are releasing two genomes from the Zygnematophyceae clade (Spirogloea muscicola and Mesotaenium endlicherianum),…
Replaying the evolutionary tape to investigate subgenome dominance in allopolyploid Brassica napus (bioRxiv)
Plant Science Research WeeklyFollowing interspecific hybridization, one of the two parental genomes (aka subgenomes) tends to become dominant (more highly retained and expressed). What determines which of the subgenomes will become dominant, or is it random? To explore this question, Bird et al. made several crosses between Brassica…
Evolutionary flexibility in flooding response circuitry in angiosperms ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyFlooding is unpredictable and can lead to plant death due to insufficient oxygen (hypoxia). Some plant species and varieties are better able to survive periods of submergence. Here, Reynoso et al. looked at gene networks induced transcriptionally and translationally by flooding in rice, Medicago and…
KonMari for Maize - keeping genomes clutter-free during selfing ($) (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyJust like years of hoarding can end up cluttering our homes, years of self-fertilization or selfing can also accumulate harmful mutations in plant genomes. By removing such harmful alleles from the genome (i.e., purging) plants can reduce the mutational load and prevent fitness loss due to selfing. Roessler…
Genome sequence of Striga asiatica provides insight into the evolution of plant parasitism (Curr Biol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe parasitic plant Striga asiatica is both a serious agricultural pest and a fascinating plant oddity. Yoshida et al. report its genome sequence, which provides a glimpse into how a plant becomes an obligate parasite. Three key findings are the tremendous expansion of receptors for strigolactones (host-released…
A reference genome for pea provides insight into legume genome evolution (Nature Genetics)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPea (Pisum sativum) is an important protein-rich crop that introduces most students to the principles of Mendelian genetics, but it has lagged behind in the genomics era due to its much larger genome size than newer model legumes. Kreplak et al. have now released an annotated chromosome-level reference…