Article
Genetics & Heredity
Adrian Gonzalo
Summary: Newly formed polyploids often exhibit meiotic defects and reduced fertility, but polyploid lineages that survive in nature are generally stable and fertile. Overcoming these challenges is crucial for the survival of polyploid lineages, and coevolution of multiple genes and genome fractionation play important roles in polyploid stabilization.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ondrej Hornych, Weston L. Testo, Emily B. Sessa, James E. Jr Jr Watkins, Courtney E. Campany, Jarmila Pittermann, Libor Ekrt
Summary: Sex expression in homosporous ferns is controlled by multiple factors, with one being the antheridiogen system. The response to antheridiogens varies among species, with approximately 65% of the studied species showing a response. The evolution and impact of antheridiogens on polyploidy and apomixis remain topics for further research.
Article
Plant Sciences
John Paul Bradican, Salvatore Tomasello, Francesco Boscutti, Kevin Karbstein, Elvira Hoerandl
Summary: The taxonomic status of many Southern European taxa of the Ranunculus auricomus complex remains uncertain. We found the majority of Mediterranean taxa to be tetraploid, with hybrid populations propagating primarily via apomixis. Phylogenomic analysis revealed that except for the progenitor species, the Mediterranean taxa are often polyphyletic.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elvira Hoerandl
Summary: Hybridization and polyploidization are crucial for plant evolution, but classifying hybrid or polyploid species has been challenging due to their complex processes and non-conformity to classical species concepts. Lineage formation resulting from meiotic sex can help overcome traditional thinking of species as units and can be applied to hybrids and polyploids.
Article
Biology
Heiner Kuhl, Yann Guiguen, Christin Hoehne, Eva Kreuz, Kang Du, Christophe Klopp, Celine Lopez-Roques, Elena Santidrian Yebra-Pimentel, Mitica Ciorpac, Jorn Gessner, Daniela Holostenco, Wibke Kleiner, Klaus Kohlmann, Dunja K. Lamatsch, Dmitry Prokopov, Anastasia Bestin, Emmanuel Bonpunt, Bastien Debeuf, Pierrick Haffray, Romain Morvezen, Pierre Patrice, Radu Suciu, Ron Dirks, Sven Wuertz, Werner Kloas, Manfred Schartl, Matthias Stoeck
Summary: A female-specific sequence has been discovered in Russian sturgeon, which has been conserved for 180 million years of sturgeon evolution. PCR genotyping tests revealed female-specific products in six species, including the most divergent extant lineages.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Tianya Ku, Huihui Gu, Zishuang Li, Baoming Tian, Zhengqing Xie, Gongyao Shi, Weiwei Chen, Fang Wei, Gangqiang Cao
Summary: The study found that autotetraploid rice has lower pollen fertility and seed setting rate compared to diploid rice due to unbalanced segregation of chromosomes and the early degeneration of tapetal cells. Differentially expressed proteins related to post-translational modifications and the pentose phosphate pathway were identified, which may contribute to chromatin remodeling abnormalities and energy deficiency in autotetraploid rice. These findings provide insights into the differences in anther development between diploid and autotetraploid rice during meiosis.
Article
Plant Sciences
Paulina Tomaszewska, Maria S. Vorontsova, Stephen A. Renvoize, Sarah Z. Ficinski, Joseph Tohme, Trude Schwarzacher, Valheria Castiblanco, Jose J. de Vega, Rowan A. C. Mitchell, J. S. (Pat) Heslop-Harrison
Summary: The study focused on characterizing the genomes of diploid and polyploid Urochloa species, identifying repetitive DNA and genome composition. The research found complex genome structures with multiple ploidies and compositions, suggesting no clear geographical patterns. A new nomenclature for genomes was proposed, along with a model of evolution at the whole-genome level and support for narrow species concepts within the Urochloa genus.
Article
Plant Sciences
Faruk Bogunic, Sonja Siljak-Yakovlev, Irma Mahmutovic-Dizdarevic, Alma Hajrudinovic-Bogunic, Mickael Bourge, Spencer C. Brown, Edina Muratovic
Summary: The study revealed that apomictic tetraploid cytotype is the most common in Balkan populations, followed by sexual diploids and extremely rare triploids. The prevalence of tetraploids affects the population structure composed of clonal genotypes, and the co-occurrence of diploids and tetraploids results in higher cytotype, reproductive mode, and genotypic diversity. However, mixed-ploidy sites are extremely rare.
Review
Plant Sciences
Elvira Hoerandl
Summary: The term Geographical parthenogenesis refers to the fact that asexual organisms usually occupy larger and more northern distribution areas than their sexual relatives and tend to colonize previously glaciated areas. While research in the last decade has shed some light on the question, the causal factors behind this phenomenon are still unclear. Uniparental reproduction and ecological factors like cold tolerance and epigenetic flexibility appear to play important roles in the success of apomictic plants, rather than genotypic diversity. Classical evolutionary theories like the Red Queen hypothesis have not been supported by studies on plants. The association of sexuality with abiotic stresses and the constraints on the origin of apomixis remain enigmatic. Future research directions are proposed.
Review
Plant Sciences
Pablo Bolanos-Villegas, Fure-Chyi Chen
Summary: The orchid market is a dynamic horticultural business focused on novelty and beauty. By studying chromosome disjunction, the size and fertility of orchid flowers can be modified, resulting in polyploid progenies with enhanced traits. This review discusses the developments in orchid polyploidy breeding within the context of meiotic chromosome segregation in other model plants to facilitate molecular translational research and horticultural innovation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Erin E. Higgins, Elaine C. Howell, Susan J. Armstrong, Isobel A. P. Parkin
Summary: The study identified genetic factors that differentiate newly resynthesised B. napus from established B. napus in their ability to control homoeologous recombination. Three quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified, with a major QTL on BnaA9 contributing between 32 and 58% of the observed variation in homoeologous recombination in B. napus. The study suggests candidate meiotic genes for manipulation to control this important trait and develop molecular markers for exploiting homoeologous recombination in crops.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nan Wang, Xietian Song, Junli Ye, Siqi Zhang, Zhen Cao, Chenqiao Zhu, Jianbing Hu, Yin Zhou, Yue Huang, Shuo Cao, Zhongjie Liu, Xiaomeng Wu, Lijun Chai, Wenwu Guo, Qiang Xu, Brandon S. Gaut, Anna M. G. Koltunow, Yongfeng Zhou, Xiuxin Deng
Summary: The study reveals the mechanism and evolution of apomixis in Citrinae. Multiple embryos of a maternal genotype form directly from nucellar cells, utilizing endosperm for growth, enabling asexual reproduction of the maternal genetic constitution. This mechanism poses a significant barrier to breeding in Citrinae. Genetic and molecular analyses suggest that parallel evolution may explain the repeated origin of apomixis in different genera of Citrinae, and introgression may be involved in apomixis in some varieties of Fortunella. The FhRWP gene, associated with apomixis, contains heterozygous structural variants that facilitate nucellar embryogenesis.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Magdalena Bohutinska, Vinzenz Handrick, Levi Yant, Roswitha Schmickl, Filip Kolar, Kirsten Bomblies, Pirita Paajanen
Summary: Positive selection was found in meiosis proteins of both tetraploid and diploid A. arenosa, with tetraploids showing more amino acid changes and affecting more strongly conserved sites. Selection may commonly act on de novo mutations in tetraploids, and coevolution and multinucleotide mutations could contribute to rapid accumulation of changes in meiotic proteins.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Veronica Noe Ibanez, Leandro Quadrana
Summary: DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mark that plays a role in gene silencing and transposable elements' (TEs) repression. It varies significantly throughout the plant life cycle, but is efficiently reinforced during reproduction to maintain stable TE silencing. Plant reproduction can occur through different modes, including asexual propagation, which bypasses critical reinforcement steps. This review summarizes recent progress in understanding DNA methylation inheritance in sexual and asexual plants. It suggests that the methylomes of asexual seeds should resemble those of sexual counterparts, whereas clonally propagated plants are expected to have hypomethylated genomes with frequent stochastic epigenetic changes. The use of nonmodel organisms holds promise for advancing our knowledge of epigenetic inheritance in plants.
CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Elsa Andrea Brugnoli, Alex Leonel Zilli, Florencia Marcon, Enzo Caballero, Eric Javier Martinez, Carlos Alberto Acuna
Summary: By evaluating the hybrid offspring of Paspalum notatum and Paspalum simplex, differences were observed in agronomic traits and apomixis expressivity, with some traits being superior to the controls. It was found that the apomixis expressivity in P. simplex hybrids varied from 0% to 100%, with 65% of the hybrids showing high apomixis expressivity (above 70%). This indicates that it is possible to generate hybrids with high apomixis expressivity, good agronomic performance, and offspring homogeneity in tetraploid P. notatum and P. simplex.