Review
Plant Sciences
Roswitha Schmickl, Levi Yant
Summary: Rare evidence shows that whole genome duplication (WGD) can break down reproductive barriers and facilitate gene flow. Recent studies in wild Arabidopsis species indicate that WGD can be adaptive and specific in response to challenges, primarily due to relative dosage of parental genomes in the endosperm. Some polyploids can act as adaptable 'allelic sponges', responding better to challenging environments.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chris Morgan, Martin A. White, F. Chris H. Franklin, Denise Zickler, Nancy Kleckner, Kirsten Bomblies
Summary: Polyploidy, especially autopolyploidy, plays a significant role in evolutionary change by affecting meiotic crossover patterns. Research shows that established autotetraploid Arabidopsis arenosa exhibits a robust crossover interference mechanism, while the neo-autotetraploid displays defects. This suggests that stable autopolyploid meiosis has evolved a supercharged interference process to simplify crossover patterns and promote bivalent formation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Ajinder Kaur, Urvashi Sharma, Sarvjeet Singh, Ravinder Singh, Yogesh Vikal, Satnam Singh, Palvi Malik, Khushpreet Kaur, Inderjit Singh, Shayla Bindra, Bidyut Kumar Sarmah, Jagdeep Singh Sandhu
Summary: This study successfully transformed commercially susceptible chickpea cultivars into resistant cultivars using marker-assisted backcross breeding, and confirmed the inheritance of the resistant gene and the phenotype of transgenic plants.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adrian Gonzalo, Pablo Parra-Nunez, Andreas L. Bachmann, Eugenio Sanchez-Moran, Kirsten Bomblies
Summary: Polyploids, which result from genome duplication events, play an important role in genome evolution in eukaryotes and offer potential benefits for crop improvement. This study investigates the hypothesis that reducing meiotic cross-over rates can limit the formation of abnormal chromosomal associations, called multivalents, in polyploids. The researchers developed Arabidopsis thaliana lines with low cross-over rates and found that the reduction in cross-overs decreased multivalent formation in polyploids, but also resulted in increased univalent frequency and did not improve polyploid fertility. These findings highlight the complexity of factors affecting meiotic stability and fertility in polyploids.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
R. K. Dhall, Harleen Kaur, Pooja Manchanda
Summary: Cucumber is an important vegetable crop with an accessible genome, which has greatly sped up research in molecular genetics. Various methodologies have been employed by cucumber breeders to enhance the yield and quality of the crop, including disease resistance enhancement, use of gynoecious sex types, alterations in plant architecture, and genetic variability enhancement. Understanding the genetics and molecular mapping of sex expression in cucumbers can greatly benefit breeders and scientists working on crop improvement.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Hossein Ghanizadeh, Kerry C. Harrington, Lulu He, Trevor K. James
Summary: Dicamba resistance in the tetraploid population of Chenopodium album is controlled by a single dominant gene. This type of inheritance suggests that selection for dicamba resistance can easily occur.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuting Qian, Minghui Meng, Chaowei Zhou, Haiping Liu, Haifeng Jiang, Youwei Xu, Wenjun Chen, Zufa Ding, Yang Liu, Xiong Gong, Cheng Wang, Yi Lei, Tai Wang, Ying Wang, Xiaoni Gan, Axel Meyer, Shunping He, Liandong Yang
Summary: Recent genomic analyses reveal that ancient gene flow could promote rapid diversification and adaptive radiation. Triplophysa, a loach genus mainly distributed in the Tibetan Plateau, demonstrates ecological diversity, rapid evolution, and potential adaptive radiation associated with the plateau's uplift. Through genome sequence analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction, introgression quantification, and simulation of speciation and migration processes, we find extensive gene flow events among different Triplophysa species. Our results indicate that introgression plays a more significant role than incomplete lineage sorting in supporting phylogenetic discordance in Triplophysa. Genomic regions affected by ancient gene flow exhibit lower recombination rates and nucleotide diversity, potentially linked to selection. Simulation analysis suggests that Triplophysa tibetana may have been affected by the Gonghe Movement during the third uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, leading to founder effects and a reduction in population size.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Dezhi Zhang, Frank E. Rheindt, Huishang She, Yalin Cheng, Gang Song, Chenxi Jia, Yanhua Qu, Per Alstrom, Fumin Lei
Summary: Phylogenetic trees based on genome-wide sequence data may not always represent the true evolutionary history due to ancient gene flow, which can lead to erroneous reconstruction of species phylogenies. Smaller parts of the genome may provide more accurate relationships, as larger data sets are more likely to be affected by hidden reticulation histories caused by gene flow. This study emphasizes the importance of considering reticulation in phylogenetic reconstructions in the genomic era.
SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Denia Pires de Almeida, Eveline Teixeira Caixeta, Karoliny Ferreira Moreira, Antonio Carlos Baiao de Oliveira, Katia Nogueira Pestana de Freitas, Antonio Alves Pereira, Renato Domiciano Silva Rosado, Laercio Zambolim, Cosme Damiao Cruz
Summary: By converting AFLP markers to SCAR and CAPS markers, this study developed molecular markers for breeding resistant coffee cultivars, leading to increased efficiency in selection of resistant plants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler K. Chafin, Binod Regmi, Marlis R. Douglas, David R. Edds, Karma Wangchuk, Sonam Dorji, Pema Norbu, Sangay Norbu, Changlu Changlu, Gopal Prasad Khanal, Singye Tshering, Michael E. Douglas
Summary: The study found that snowtrouts exhibit similar evolutionary patterns in different habitats, possibly due to parallel selective pressures causing convergence of genetic variation. Different patterns of mixed evolution may exist during secondary contact. The results indicate that despite hybridization, morphological adaptations are retained, and the degree of admixture varies across tributaries, possibly influenced by environmental or anthropogenic factors.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Carl Veller, Nathaniel B. Edelman, Pavitra Muralidhar, Martin A. Nowak
Summary: This study explores the influence of recombination on the purging process of introgressed DNA in recipient species' genomes. The findings suggest that aggregate recombination controls the genome-wide rate of purging, especially in the early generations after admixture. The number of chromosomes, heterogeneity in their size, and the number and locations of crossovers along chromosomes all affect aggregate recombination. Furthermore, recombination has different effects on purging in species with autosomal recombination in both sexes compared to species without it.
Article
Plant Sciences
Lucio D'Andrea, Nicolas Sierro, Sonia Ouadi, Tomas Hasing, Elijah Rinaldi, Nikolai V. Ivanov, Aureliano Bombarely
Summary: In this study, the researchers analyzed the plastidial and nuclear genes of several Nicotiana diploid species and found that Nicotiana section Suaveolentes is a polyploid tobacco species that originated in Australia through hybridization between diploid relatives.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Carolina Osuna-Mascaro, Rafael Rubio de Casas, Jose M. Gomez, Joao Loureiro, Silvia Castro, Jacob B. Landis, Robin Hopkins, Francisco Perfectti
Summary: This study analyzed the evolution of Erysimum species from the South of the Iberian Peninsula and found that hybridization played a significant role in their evolution, especially in species with purple and yellow flowers. These results demonstrate the importance of hybridization for plant diversification, which should be considered in studies of plant evolution.
Article
Biology
Bernett Lee, Samantha Leeanne Cyrill, Wendy Lee, Rossella Melchiotti, Anand Kumar Andiappan, Michael Poidinger, Olaf Rotzschke
Summary: The NCO recombination rates show a strong correlation with the function of the region, with low rates in introns and quiescent intergenic regions and high rates in splice sites, exons, 5' and 3'-UTRs, as well as CpG islands. Epigenetic modifications such as 5hmC marks are associated with elevated NCO rates in functionally relevant regions, potentially allowing for environmental influence on gene loci.
Review
Plant Sciences
Edgar L. Y. Wong, Dmitry A. Filatov
Summary: It is well known that closely related species can hybridize and exchange genetic material, which can either promote or hinder adaptation and speciation. The heterogeneity of genomes in most eukaryotic species, such as variations in gene density, repetitive DNA, and chromatin compactness, can determine susceptibility to gene exchange from other species. Recombination rates also greatly influence the permeability of genomic regions to interspecific introgression, with regions lacking recombination impeding genetic exchange. The presence of large rarely recombining regions in plant genomes plays a significant role in preserving species identity in hybridizing plant species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
