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Keeling PJ. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes: aligning theory with data. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:416-430. [PMID: 38263430 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00688-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or lateral gene transfer, is the non-sexual movement of genetic information between genomes. It has played a pronounced part in bacterial and archaeal evolution, but its role in eukaryotes is less clear. Behaviours unique to eukaryotic cells - phagocytosis and endosymbiosis - have been proposed to increase the frequency of HGT, but nuclear genomes encode fewer HGTs than bacteria and archaea. Here, I review the existing theory in the context of the growing body of data on HGT in eukaryotes, which suggests that any increased chance of acquiring new genes through phagocytosis and endosymbiosis is offset by a reduced need for these genes in eukaryotes, because selection in most eukaryotes operates on variation not readily generated by HGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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2
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Sanchez-Puerta MV, Ceriotti LF, Gatica-Soria LM, Roulet ME, Garcia LE, Sato HA. Invited Review Beyond parasitic convergence: unravelling the evolution of the organellar genomes in holoparasites. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2023; 132:909-928. [PMID: 37503831 PMCID: PMC10808021 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular evolution of organellar genomes in angiosperms has been studied extensively, with some lineages, such as parasitic ones, displaying unique characteristics. Parasitism has emerged 12 times independently in angiosperm evolution. Holoparasitism is the most severe form of parasitism, and is found in ~10 % of parasitic angiosperms. Although a few holoparasitic species have been examined at the molecular level, most reports involve plastomes instead of mitogenomes. Parasitic plants establish vascular connections with their hosts through haustoria to obtain water and nutrients, which facilitates the exchange of genetic information, making them more susceptible to horizontal gene transfer (HGT). HGT is more prevalent in the mitochondria than in the chloroplast or nuclear compartments. SCOPE This review summarizes current knowledge on the plastid and mitochondrial genomes of holoparasitic angiosperms, compares the genomic features across the different lineages, and discusses their convergent evolutionary trajectories and distinctive features. We focused on Balanophoraceae (Santalales), which exhibits extraordinary traits in both their organelles. CONCLUSIONS Apart from morphological similarities, plastid genomes of holoparasitic plants also display other convergent features, such as rampant gene loss, biased nucleotide composition and accelerated evolutionary rates. In addition, the plastomes of Balanophoraceae have extremely low GC and gene content, and two unexpected changes in the genetic code. Limited data on the mitochondrial genomes of holoparasitic plants preclude thorough comparisons. Nonetheless, no obvious genomic features distinguish them from the mitochondria of free-living angiosperms, except for a higher incidence of HGT. HGT appears to be predominant in holoparasitic angiosperms with a long-lasting endophytic stage. Among the Balanophoraceae, mitochondrial genomes exhibit disparate evolutionary paths with notable levels of heteroplasmy in Rhopalocnemis and unprecedented levels of HGT in Lophophytum. Despite their differences, these Balanophoraceae share a multichromosomal mitogenome, a feature also found in a few free-living angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Virginia Sanchez-Puerta
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Luis F Ceriotti
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Leonardo M Gatica-Soria
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - M Emilia Roulet
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Laura E Garcia
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, Chacras de Coria, M5528AHB, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Hector A Sato
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Cátedra de Botánica General–Herbario JUA, Alberdi 47, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, 4600 Jujuy, Argentina
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Lin Y, Li P, Zhang Y, Akhter D, Pan R, Fu Z, Huang M, Li X, Feng Y. Unprecedented organelle genomic variations in morning glories reveal independent evolutionary scenarios of parasitic plants and the diversification of plant mitochondrial complexes. BMC Biol 2022; 20:49. [PMID: 35172831 PMCID: PMC8851834 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01250-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The morning glories (Convolvulaceae) are distributed worldwide and produce economically important crops, medicinal herbs, and ornamentals. Members of this family are diverse in morphological characteristics and trophic modes, including the leafless parasitic Cuscuta (dodders). Organelle genomes were generally used for studying plant phylogeny and genomic variations. Notably, plastomes in parasitic plants always show non-canonical features, such as reduced size and accelerated rates. However, few organelle genomes of this group have been sequenced, hindering our understanding of their evolution, and dodder mitogenome in particular. Results We assembled 22 new mitogenomes and 12 new plastomes in Convolvulaceae. Alongside previously known ones, we totally analyzed organelle genomes of 23 species in the family. Our sampling includes 16 leafy autotrophic species and 7 leafless parasitic dodders, covering 8 of the 12 tribes. Both the plastid and mitochondrial genomes of these plants have encountered variations that were rarely observed in other angiosperms. All of the plastomes possessed atypical IR boundaries. Besides the gene and IR losses in dodders, some leafy species also showed gene and intron losses, duplications, structural variations, and insertions of foreign DNAs. The phylogeny reconstructed by plastid protein coding sequences confirmed the previous relationship of the tribes. However, the monophyly of ‘Merremieae’ and the sister group of Cuscuta remained uncertain. The mitogenome was significantly inflated in Cuscuta japonica, which has exceeded over 800 kb and integrated massive DNAs from other species. In other dodders, mitogenomes were maintained in small size, revealing divergent evolutionary strategies. Mutations unique to plants were detected in the mitochondrial gene ccmFc, which has broken into three fragments through gene fission and splicing shift. The unusual changes likely initially happened to the common ancestor of the family and were caused by a foreign insertion from rosids followed by double-strand breaks and imprecise DNA repairs. The coding regions of ccmFc expanded at both sides after the fission, which may have altered the protein structure. Conclusions Our family-scale analyses uncovered unusual scenarios for both organelle genomes in Convolvulaceae, especially in parasitic plants. The data provided valuable genetic resources for studying the evolution of Convolvulaceae and plant parasitism. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01250-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxiang Lin
- College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Pan Li
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuchan Zhang
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China
| | - Delara Akhter
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China.,Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet Division 3100, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Ronghui Pan
- Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China.,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Zhixi Fu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610101, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingqing Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian, China
| | - Xiaobo Li
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang, China.,Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yanlei Feng
- Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang, China. .,Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang, China.
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Yu R, Sun C, Liu Y, Zhou R. Shifts from cis-to trans-splicing of five mitochondrial introns in Tolypanthus maclurei. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12260. [PMID: 34703675 PMCID: PMC8489412 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Shifts from cis-to trans-splicing of mitochondrial introns tend to correlate with relative genome rearrangement rates during vascular plant evolution, as is particularly apparent in some lineages of gymnosperms. However, although many angiosperms have also relatively high mitogenomic rearrangement rates, very few cis-to trans-splicing shifts except for five trans-spliced introns shared in seed plants have been reported. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the mitogenome of Tolypanthus maclurei, a hemiparasitic plant from the family Loranthaceae (Santalales). The mitogenome was assembled into a circular chromosome of 256,961 bp long, relatively small compared with its relatives from Santalales. It possessed a gene content of typical angiosperm mitogenomes, including 33 protein-coding genes, three rRNA genes and ten tRNA genes. Plastid-derived DNA fragments took up 9.1% of the mitogenome. The mitogenome contained one group I intron (cox1i729) and 23 group II introns. We found shifts from cis-to trans-splicing of five additional introns in its mitogenome, of which two are specific in T. maclurei. Moreover, atp1 is a chimeric gene and phylogenetic analysis indicated that a 356 bp region near the 3′ end of atp1 of T. maclurei was acquired from Lamiales via horizontal gene transfer. Our results suggest that shifts to trans-splicing of mitochondrial introns may not be uncommon among angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runxian Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chenyu Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Ying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Renchao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Lyko P, Wicke S. Genomic reconfiguration in parasitic plants involves considerable gene losses alongside global genome size inflation and gene births. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:1412-1423. [PMID: 33909907 PMCID: PMC8260112 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic plant genomes and transcriptomes reveal numerous genetic innovations, the functional-evolutionary relevance and roles of which open unprecedented research avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Lyko
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany
| | - Susann Wicke
- Institute for Biology, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany
- Author for communication:
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Mahelka V, Krak K, Fehrer J, Caklová P, Nagy Nejedlá M, Čegan R, Kopecký D, Šafář J. A Panicum-derived chromosomal segment captured by Hordeum a few million years ago preserves a set of stress-related genes. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 105:1141-1164. [PMID: 33484020 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Intra-specific variability is a cornerstone of evolutionary success of species. Acquiring genetic material from distant sources is an important adaptive mechanism in bacteria, but it can also play a role in eukaryotes. In this paper, we investigate the nature and evolution of a chromosomal segment of panicoid (Poaceae, Panicoideae) origin occurring in the nuclear genomes of species of the barley genus Hordeum (Pooideae). The segment, spanning over 440 kb in the Asian Hordeum bogdanii and 219 kb in the South American Hordeum pubiflorum, resides on a pair of nucleolar organizer region (NOR)-bearing chromosomes. Conserved synteny and micro-collinearity of the segment in both species indicate a common origin of the segment, which was acquired before the split of the respective barley lineages 5-1.7 million years ago. A major part of the foreign DNA consists of several approximately 68 kb long repeated blocks containing five stress-related protein-coding genes and transposable elements (TEs). Whereas outside these repeats, the locus was invaded by multiple TEs from the host genome, the repeated blocks are rather intact and appear to be preserved. The protein-coding genes remained partly functional, as indicated by conserved reading frames, a low amount of non-synonymous mutations, and expression of mRNA. A screen across Hordeum species targeting the panicoid protein-coding genes revealed the presence of the genes in all species of the section Stenostachys. In summary, our study shows that grass genomes can contain large genomic segments obtained from distantly related species. These segments usually remain undetected, but they may play an important role in the evolution and adaptation of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Václav Mahelka
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic
| | - Karol Krak
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague 6, 16500, Czech Republic
| | - Judith Fehrer
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Caklová
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, 25243, Czech Republic
| | | | - Radim Čegan
- Institute of Biophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, 61265, Czech Republic
| | - David Kopecký
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Šlechtitelů 31, Olomouc, 77900, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šafář
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Šlechtitelů 31, Olomouc, 77900, Czech Republic
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7
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Krasylenko Y, Těšitel J, Ceccantini G, Oliveira-da-Silva M, Dvořák V, Steele D, Sosnovsky Y, Piwowarczyk R, Watson DM, Teixeira-Costa L. Parasites on parasites: hyper-, epi-, and autoparasitism among flowering plants. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:8-21. [PMID: 33403666 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
All organisms engage in parasitic relations, as either parasites or hosts. Some species may even play both roles simultaneously. Among flowering plants, the most widespread form of parasitism is characterized by the development of an intrusive organ called the haustorium, which absorbs water and nutrients from the host. Despite this functionally unifying feature of parasitic plants, haustoria are not homologous structures; they have evolved 12 times independently. These plants represent ca. 1% of all extant flowering species and show a wide diversity of life histories. A great variety of plants may also serve as hosts, including other parasitic plants. This phenomenon of parasitic exploitation of another parasite, broadly known as hyper- or epiparasitism, is well described among bacteria, fungi, and animals, but remains poorly understood among plants. Here, we review empirical evidence of plant hyperparasitism, including variations of self-parasitism, discuss the diversity and ecological importance of these interactions, and suggest possible evolutionary mechanisms. Hyperparasitism may provide benefits in terms of improved nutrition and enhanced host-parasite compatibility if partners are related. Different forms of self-parasitism may facilitate nutrient sharing among and within parasitic plant individuals, while also offering potential for the evolution of hyperparasitism. Cases of hyperparasitic interactions between parasitic plants may affect the ecology of individual species and modulate their ecosystem impacts. Parasitic plant phenology and disperser feeding behavior are considered to play a major role in the occurrence of hyperparasitism, especially among mistletoes. There is also potential for hyperparasites to act as biological control agents of invasive primary parasitic host species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Krasylenko
- Department of Cell Biology, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Šlechtitelů, 27, 78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Těšitel
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Gregorio Ceccantini
- Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 277, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Mariana Oliveira-da-Silva
- Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 277, São Paulo, SP, 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Václav Dvořák
- Botanical Garden, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, 17. listopadu 1192/12, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Steele
- Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616
| | - Yevhen Sosnovsky
- Botanical Garden, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, 44 Cheremshyna Str., 79014, Lviv, Ukraine
| | - Renata Piwowarczyk
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Jan Kochanowski University, Uniwersytecka 7, 25-406, Kielce, Poland
| | - David M Watson
- Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, 2640, Australia
| | - Luiza Teixeira-Costa
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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Roulet ME, Garcia LE, Gandini CL, Sato H, Ponce G, Sanchez-Puerta MV. Multichromosomal structure and foreign tracts in the Ombrophytum subterraneum (Balanophoraceae) mitochondrial genome. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 103:623-638. [PMID: 32440763 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-020-01014-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is frequent in parasitic plant mitochondria as a result of vascular connections established in host-parasite relationships. Recent studies of the holoparasitic plant Lophophytum mirabile (Balanophoraceae) revealed the unprecedented acquisition of a large amount of mitochondrial sequences from its legume host. We focused on a close relative, the generalist holoparasite Ombrophytum subterraneum, to examine the incidence of HGT events in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA). The mtDNA of O. subterraneum assembles into 54 circular chromosomes, only 34 of which contain the 51 full-length coding regions. Numerous foreign tracts (totaling almost 100 kb, ~ 14% of the mtDNA), including 12 intact genes, were acquired by HGT from the Asteraceae hosts. Nine chromosomes concentrate most of those regions and eight are almost entirely foreign. Native homologs of each foreign gene coexist in the mtDNA and are potentially functional. A large proportion of shorter regions were related to the Fabaceae (a total of ~ 110 kb, 15.4%), some of which were shared with L. mirabile. We also found evidence of foreign sequences donated by angiosperm lineages not reported as hosts (Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, and Malvales). We propose an evolutionary hypothesis that involves ancient transfers from legume hosts in the common ancestor of Ombrophytum and Lophophytum followed by more recent transfer events in L. mirabile. Besides, the O. subterraneum mtDNA was also subjected to additional HGT events from diverse angiosperm lineages, including large and recent transfers from the Asteraceae, and also from Lamiaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Emilia Roulet
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Laura E Garcia
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Carolina L Gandini
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Hector Sato
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Cátedra de Botánica General-Herbario JUA, Alberdi 47, 4600, San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Ponce
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - M Virginia Sanchez-Puerta
- IBAM, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502JMA, Mendoza, Argentina.
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9
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Padiglia A, Zucca P, Cannea FB, Diana A, Maxia C, Murtas D, Rescigno A. Absence of Polyphenol Oxidase in Cynomorium coccineum, a Widespread Holoparasitic Plant. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9080964. [PMID: 32751574 PMCID: PMC7570208 DOI: 10.3390/plants9080964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO, E.C. 1.14.18.1) is a nearly ubiquitous enzyme that is widely distributed among organisms. Despite its widespread distribution, the role of PPO in plants has not been thoroughly elucidated. In this study, we report for the absence of PPO in Cynomorium coccineum, a holoparasitic plant adapted to withstand unfavorable climatic conditions, growing in Mediterranean countries and amply used in traditional medicine. The lack of PPO has been demonstrated by the absence of enzymatic activity with various substrates, by the lack of immunohistochemical detection of the enzyme, and by the absence of the PPO gene and, consequently, its expression. The results obtained in our work allow us to exclude the presence of the PPO activity (both latent and mature forms of the enzyme), as well as of one or more genes coding for PPO in C. coccineum. Finally, we discuss the possible significance of PPO deficiency in parasitic plants adapted to abiotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Padiglia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell’ambiente (Disva), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (A.P.); (F.B.C.)
| | - Paolo Zucca
- Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche (DiSB), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (P.Z.); (A.D.); (C.M.); (D.M.)
| | - Faustina B. Cannea
- Dipartimento di Scienze della vita e dell’ambiente (Disva), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (A.P.); (F.B.C.)
| | - Andrea Diana
- Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche (DiSB), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (P.Z.); (A.D.); (C.M.); (D.M.)
| | - Cristina Maxia
- Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche (DiSB), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (P.Z.); (A.D.); (C.M.); (D.M.)
| | - Daniela Murtas
- Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche (DiSB), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (P.Z.); (A.D.); (C.M.); (D.M.)
| | - Antonio Rescigno
- Dipartimento di Scienze biomediche (DiSB), Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy; (P.Z.); (A.D.); (C.M.); (D.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-070-6754516
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10
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Shtratnikova VY, Schelkunov MI, Penin AA, Logacheva MD. Mitochondrial genome of the nonphotosynthetic mycoheterotrophic plant Hypopitys monotropa, its structure, gene expression and RNA editing. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9309. [PMID: 32601550 PMCID: PMC7307570 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterotrophic plants—plants that have lost the ability to photosynthesize—are characterized by a number of changes at all levels of organization. Heterotrophic plants are divided into two large categories—parasitic and mycoheterotrophic (MHT). The question of to what extent such changes are similar in these two categories is still open. The plastid genomes of nonphotosynthetic plants are well characterized, and they exhibit similar patterns of reduction in the two groups. In contrast, little is known about the mitochondrial genomes of MHT plants. We report the structure of the mitochondrial genome of Hypopitys monotropa, a MHT member of Ericaceae, and the expression of its genes. In contrast to its highly reduced plastid genome, the mitochondrial genome of H. monotropa is larger than that of its photosynthetic relative Vaccinium macrocarpon, and its complete size is ~810 Kb. We observed an unusually long repeat-rich structure of the genome that suggests the existence of linear fragments. Despite this unique feature, the gene content of the H. monotropa mitogenome is typical of flowering plants. No acceleration of substitution rates is observed in mitochondrial genes, in contrast to previous observations in parasitic non-photosynthetic plants. Transcriptome sequencing revealed the trans-splicing of several genes and RNA editing in 33 of 38 genes. Notably, we did not find any traces of horizontal gene transfer from fungi, in contrast to plant parasites, which extensively integrate genetic material from their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktoria Yu Shtratnikova
- A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail I Schelkunov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksey A Penin
- Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Petersen G, Anderson B, Braun HP, Meyer EH, Møller IM. Mitochondria in parasitic plants. Mitochondrion 2020; 52:173-182. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2020.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Zucca P, Bellot S, Rescigno A. The Modern Use of an Ancient Plant: Exploring the Antioxidant and Nutraceutical Potential of the Maltese Mushroom ( Cynomorium Coccineum L.). Antioxidants (Basel) 2019; 8:antiox8080289. [PMID: 31394783 PMCID: PMC6719927 DOI: 10.3390/antiox8080289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In the continuous scientific search for new safe and effective drugs, there has recently been a rediscovery of natural substances as a potential reservoir of innovative therapeutic solutions for human health, with the prospect of integrating with and sometimes replacing conventional drugs. Cynomorium coccineum subsp. coccineum is a holoparasitic plant well known in ethnopharmacology, although its current use as a curative remedy is reported only in some ethnic groups of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Often known as ‘Maltese mushroom’ due to its unique appearance and the absence of chlorophyll, C. coccineum is present in almost all of the Mediterranean Basin. It is only recently that a few research groups have begun to look for confirmation of some of its traditional uses to highlight previously unknown biological activities. Here, we review the recent scientific findings on the plant’s phytochemistry and the most significant descriptions of some of its antioxidant and biological activities (antimicrobial, anticancer, pro-erectile, and anti-tyrosinase enzyme) both in vivo and in vitro. Some of these may be promising from the perspective of food and cosmetic formulations. The purpose of this review is to provide an initial impetus to those who, in the foreseeable future, will want to increase the knowledge and possible applications of this plant full of history, charm, and mystery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Zucca
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy
| | - Sidonie Bellot
- Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond TW9 3DS, UK
| | - Antonio Rescigno
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Monserrato (CA), Italy.
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