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Wong DCJ, Wang Z, Perkins J, Jin X, Marsh GE, John EG, Peakall R. The road less taken: Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase inactivation and delphinidin anthocyanin loss underpins a natural intraspecific flower colour variation. Mol Ecol 2024:e17334. [PMID: 38651763 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Visual cues are of critical importance for the attraction of animal pollinators, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning intraspecific floral colour variation. Here, we combined comparative spectral analysis, targeted metabolite profiling, multi-tissue transcriptomics, differential gene expression, sequence analysis and functional analysis to investigate a bee-pollinated orchid species, Glossodia major with common purple- and infrequent white-flowered morphs. We found uncommon and previously unreported delphinidin-based anthocyanins responsible for the conspicuous and pollinator-perceivable colour of the purple morph and three genetic changes underpinning the loss of colour in the white morph - (1) a loss-of-function (LOF; frameshift) mutation affecting dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR1) coding sequence due to a unique 4-bp insertion, (2) specific downregulation of functional DFR1 expression and (3) the unexpected discovery of chimeric Gypsy transposable element (TE)-gene (DFR) transcripts with potential consequences to the genomic stability and post-transcriptional or epigenetic regulation of DFR. This is one of few known cases where regulatory changes and LOF mutation in an anthocyanin structural gene, rather than transcription factors, are important. Furthermore, if TEs prove to be a frequent source of mutation, the interplay between environmental stress-induced TE evolution and pollinator-mediated selection for adaptive colour variation may be an overlooked mechanism maintaining floral colour polymorphism in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren C J Wong
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Zemin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - James Perkins
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Xin Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Grace Emma Marsh
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Emma Grace John
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Rod Peakall
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Shor E, Skaliter O, Sharon E, Kitsberg Y, Bednarczyk D, Kerzner S, Vainstein D, Tabach Y, Vainstein A. Developmental and temporal changes in petunia petal transcriptome reveal scent-repressing plant-specific RING-kinase-WD40 protein. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1180899. [PMID: 37360732 PMCID: PMC10286513 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1180899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
In moth-pollinated petunias, production of floral volatiles initiates when the flower opens and occurs rhythmically during the day, for optimal flower-pollinator interaction. To characterize the developmental transcriptomic response to time of day, we generated RNA-Seq databases for corollas of floral buds and mature flowers in the morning and in the evening. Around 70% of transcripts accumulating in petals demonstrated significant changes in expression levels in response to the flowers' transition from a 4.5-cm bud to a flower 1 day postanthesis (1DPA). Overall, 44% of the petal transcripts were differentially expressed in the morning vs. evening. Morning/evening changes were affected by flower developmental stage, with a 2.5-fold larger transcriptomic response to daytime in 1DPA flowers compared to buds. Analyzed genes known to encode enzymes in volatile organic compound biosynthesis were upregulated in 1DPA flowers vs. buds-in parallel with the activation of scent production. Based on analysis of global changes in the petal transcriptome, PhWD2 was identified as a putative scent-related factor. PhWD2 is a protein that is uniquely present in plants and has a three-domain structure: RING-kinase-WD40. Suppression of PhWD2 (termed UPPER - Unique Plant PhEnylpropanoid Regulator) resulted in a significant increase in the levels of volatiles emitted from and accumulated in internal pools, suggesting that it is a negative regulator of petunia floral scent production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Shor
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Oded Skaliter
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Elad Sharon
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
- The Institute for Medical Research, Israel-Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yaarit Kitsberg
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dominika Bednarczyk
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shane Kerzner
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Danny Vainstein
- School of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuval Tabach
- The Institute for Medical Research, Israel-Canada, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Alexander Vainstein
- The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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Wong DCJ, Pichersky E, Peakall R. Many different flowers make a bouquet: Lessons from specialized metabolite diversity in plant-pollinator interactions. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 73:102332. [PMID: 36652780 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Flowering plants have evolved extraordinarily diverse metabolites that underpin the floral visual and olfactory signals enabling plant-pollinator interactions. In some cases, these metabolites also provide unusual rewards that specific pollinators depend on. While some metabolites are shared by most flowering plants, many have evolved in restricted lineages in response to the specific selection pressures encountered within different niches. The latter are designated as specialized metabolites. Recent investigations continue to uncover a growing repertoire of unusual specialized metabolites. Increased accessibility to cutting-edge multi-omics technologies (e.g. genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome) is now opening new doors to simultaneously uncover the molecular basis of their synthesis and their evolution across diverse plant lineages. Drawing upon the recent literature, this perspective discusses these aspects and, where known, their ecological and evolutionary relevance. A primer on omics-guided approaches to discover the genetic and biochemical basis of functional specialized metabolites is also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren C J Wong
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
| | - Eran Pichersky
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Rod Peakall
- Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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van der Niet T, Egan PA, Schlüter PM. Evolutionarily inspired solutions to the crop pollination crisis. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:435-445. [PMID: 36737302 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The global decline in insect diversity threatens pollination services, potentially impacting crop production and food security. Here, we argue that this looming pollination crisis is generally approached from an ecological standpoint, and that consideration of evolutionary principles offers a novel perspective. First, we outline that wild plant species have overcome 'pollination crises' throughout evolutionary history, and show how associated principles can be applied to crop pollination. We then highlight technological advances that can be used to adapt crop flowers for optimal pollination by local wild pollinators, especially by increasing generalization in pollination systems. Thus, synergies among fundamental evolutionary research, genetic engineering, and agro-ecological science provide a promising template for addressing a potential pollination crisis, complementing much-needed strategies focused on pollinator conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timotheüs van der Niet
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, 3209, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
| | - Paul A Egan
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 230 53 Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Philipp M Schlüter
- Department of Plant Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstraße 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
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Sun T, Rao S, Zhou X, Li L. Plant carotenoids: recent advances and future perspectives. MOLECULAR HORTICULTURE 2022; 2:3. [PMID: 37789426 PMCID: PMC10515021 DOI: 10.1186/s43897-022-00023-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Carotenoids are isoprenoid metabolites synthesized de novo in all photosynthetic organisms. Carotenoids are essential for plants with diverse functions in photosynthesis, photoprotection, pigmentation, phytohormone synthesis, and signaling. They are also critically important for humans as precursors of vitamin A synthesis and as dietary antioxidants. The vital roles of carotenoids to plants and humans have prompted significant progress toward our understanding of carotenoid metabolism and regulation. New regulators and novel roles of carotenoid metabolites are continuously revealed. This review focuses on current status of carotenoid metabolism and highlights recent advances in comprehension of the intrinsic and multi-dimensional regulation of carotenoid accumulation. We also discuss the functional evolution of carotenoids, the agricultural and horticultural application, and some key areas for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianhu Sun
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Sombir Rao
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Xuesong Zhou
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Li Li
- Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
- Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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