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Alakärppä E, Salo HM, Suokas M, Jokipii-Lukkari S, Vuosku J, Häggman H. Targeted bisulfite sequencing of Scots pine adaptation-related genes. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 346:112173. [PMID: 38944158 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
During environmental changes, epigenetic processes can enable adaptive responses faster than natural selection. In plants, very little is known about the role of DNA methylation during long-term adaptation. Scots pine is a widely distributed coniferous species which must adapt to different environmental conditions throughout its long lifespan. Thus, epigenetic modifications may contribute towards this direction. We provide bisulfite next-generation sequencing data from the putative promoters and exons of eight adaptation-related genes (A3IP2, CCA1, COL1, COL2, FTL2, MFT1, PHYO, and ZTL) in three Scots pine populations located in northern and southern parts of Finland. DNA methylation levels were studied in the two seed tissues: the maternal megagametophyte which contributes to embryo viability, and the biparental embryo which represents the next generation. In most genes, differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) were in line with our previously demonstrated gene expression differences found in the same Scots pine populations. In addition, we found a strong correlation of total methylation levels between the embryo and megagametophyte tissues of a given individual tree, which indicates that DNA methylation can be inherited from the maternal parent. In conclusion, our results imply that DNA methylation differences may contribute to the adaptation of Scots pine populations in different climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmi Alakärppä
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland.
| | - Heikki M Salo
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Marko Suokas
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Soile Jokipii-Lukkari
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Jaana Vuosku
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Hely Häggman
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu, Finland
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Su Y, Liu L, Deng Q, Lü Z, Wang Z, He Z, Wang T. Epigenetic architecture of Pseudotaxus chienii: Revealing the synergistic effects of climate and soil variables. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10511. [PMID: 37701023 PMCID: PMC10493196 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10511] [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: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether conifers can withstand environmental changes especially temperature fluctuations has been controversial. Epigenetic analysis may provide new perspectives for solving the issue. Pseudotaxus chienii is an endangered gymnosperm species endemic to China. In this study, we have examined the genetic and epigenetic variations in its natural populations aiming to disentangle the synergistic effects of climate and soil on its population (epi)genetic differentiation by using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive AFLP (MSAP) techniques. We identified 23 AFLP and 26, 7, and 5 MSAP outliers in P. chienii. Twenty-one of the putative adaptive AFLP loci were found associated with climate and/or soil variables including precipitation, temperature, K, Fe, Zn, and Cu, whereas 21, 7, and 4 MSAP outliers were significantly related to precipitation of wettest month (Bio13), precipitation driest of month (Bio14), percent tree cover (PTC), and soil Fe, Mn, and Cu compositions. Total precipitation and precipitation in the driest seasons were the most influential factors for genetic and epigenetic variation, respectively. In addition, a high full-methylation level and a strong correlation between genetic and epigenetic variation were detected in P. chienii. Climate is found of greater importance than soil in shaping adaptive (epi)genetic differentiation, and the synergistic effects of climate and climate-soil variables were also observed. The identified climate and soil variables should be considered when applying ex situ conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjuan Su
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
- Research Institute of Sun Yat‐sen University in ShenzhenShenzhenChina
| | - Li Liu
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Qi Deng
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
- School of MedicineGuangxi University of Science and TechnologyLiuzhouChina
| | - Zhuyan Lü
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Zhen Wang
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ziqing He
- School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Ting Wang
- Research Institute of Sun Yat‐sen University in ShenzhenShenzhenChina
- College of Life SciencesSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhouChina
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Katsidi EC, Avramidou EV, Ganopoulos I, Barbas E, Doulis A, Triantafyllou A, Aravanopoulos FA. Genetics and epigenetics of Pinus nigra populations with differential exposure to air pollution. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1139331. [PMID: 37089661 PMCID: PMC10117940 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1139331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Forest species in the course of their evolution have experienced several environmental challenges, which since historic times include anthropogenic pollution. The effects of pollution on the genetic and epigenetic diversity in black pine (Pinus nigra) forests were investigated in the Amyntaio - Ptolemais - Kozani Basin, which has been for decades the largest lignite mining and burning center of Greece, with a total installed generating capacity of about 4.5 GW, operating for more than 70 years and resulting in large amounts of primary air pollutant emissions, mainly SO2, NOx and PM10. P. nigra, a biomarker for air pollution and a keystone species of affected natural ecosystems, was examined in terms of phenology (cone and seed parameters), genetics (283 AFLP loci) and epigenetics (606 MSAP epiloci), using two populations (exposed to pollution and control) of the current (mature trees) and future (embryos) stand. It was found that cone, seed, as well as genetic diversity parameters, did not show statistically significant differences between the exposed population and the control. Nevertheless, statistically significant differences were detected at the population epigenetic level. Moreover, there was a further differentiation regarding the intergenerational comparison: while the epigenetic diversity does not substantially change in the two generations assessed in the control population, epigenetic diversity is significantly higher in the embryo population compared to the parental stand in the exposed population. This study sheds a light to genome dynamics in a forest tree population exposed to long term atmospheric pollution burden and stresses the importance of assessing both genetics and epigenetics in biomonitoring applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissavet Ch. Katsidi
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Environmental Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelia V. Avramidou
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Environmental Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Ganopoulos
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Environmental Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Evangelos Barbas
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Environmental Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Andreas Doulis
- Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology – Genomic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DEMETER, Institute of Viticulture, Floriculture and Vegetable Crops, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Athanasios Triantafyllou
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Pollution and Environmental Physics (LALEP), Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, Kozani, Greece
| | - Filippos A. Aravanopoulos
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Tree Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry & Environmental Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- *Correspondence: Filippos A. Aravanopoulos,
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Varotto S, Krugman T, Aiese Cigliano R, Kashkush K, Kondić-Špika A, Aravanopoulos FA, Pradillo M, Consiglio F, Aversano R, Pecinka A, Miladinović D. Exploitation of epigenetic variation of crop wild relatives for crop improvement and agrobiodiversity preservation. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2022; 135:3987-4003. [PMID: 35678824 PMCID: PMC9729329 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-022-04122-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Crop wild relatives (CWRs) are recognized as the best potential source of traits for crop improvement. However, successful crop improvement using CWR relies on identifying variation in genes controlling desired traits in plant germplasms and subsequently incorporating them into cultivars. Epigenetic diversity may provide an additional layer of variation within CWR and can contribute novel epialleles for key traits for crop improvement. There is emerging evidence that epigenetic variants of functional and/or agronomic importance exist in CWR gene pools. This provides a rationale for the conservation of epigenotypes of interest, thus contributing to agrobiodiversity preservation through conservation and (epi)genetic monitoring. Concepts and techniques of classical and modern breeding should consider integrating recent progress in epigenetics, initially by identifying their association with phenotypic variations and then by assessing their heritability and stability in subsequent generations. New tools available for epigenomic analysis offer the opportunity to capture epigenetic variation and integrate it into advanced (epi)breeding programmes. Advances in -omics have provided new insights into the sources and inheritance of epigenetic variation and enabled the efficient introduction of epi-traits from CWR into crops using epigenetic molecular markers, such as epiQTLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Varotto
- Department of Agronomy Animal Food Natural Resources and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16 35020, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Tamar Krugman
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Abba Khoushy Ave 199, 3498838, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Khalil Kashkush
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, 84105, Israel
| | - Ankica Kondić-Špika
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Fillipos A Aravanopoulos
- Faculty of Agriculture, Forest Science & Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GR54006, Greece
| | - Monica Pradillo
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Federica Consiglio
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council (CNR), Via Università 133, 80055, Portici, Italy
| | - Riccardo Aversano
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055, Portici, Italy
| | - Ales Pecinka
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Czech Acad Sci, Šlechtitelů 31, 779 00, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Dragana Miladinović
- Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia
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Cossu RM, Casola C, Giacomello S, Vidalis A, Scofield DG, Zuccolo A. LTR Retrotransposons Show Low Levels of Unequal Recombination and High Rates of Intraelement Gene Conversion in Large Plant Genomes. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:3449-3462. [PMID: 29228262 PMCID: PMC5751070 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation and removal of transposable elements (TEs) is a major driver of genome size evolution in eukaryotes. In plants, long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) represent the majority of TEs and form most of the nuclear DNA in large genomes. Unequal recombination (UR) between LTRs leads to removal of intervening sequence and formation of solo-LTRs. UR is a major mechanism of LTR-RT removal in many angiosperms, but our understanding of LTR-RT-associated recombination within the large, LTR-RT-rich genomes of conifers is quite limited. We employ a novel read-based methodology to estimate the relative rates of LTR-RT-associated UR within the genomes of four conifer and seven angiosperm species. We found the lowest rates of UR in the largest genomes studied, conifers and the angiosperm maize. Recombination may also resolve as gene conversion, which does not remove sequence, so we analyzed LTR-RT-associated gene conversion events (GCEs) in Norway spruce and six angiosperms. Opposite the trend for UR, we found the highest rates of GCEs in Norway spruce and maize. Unlike previous work in angiosperms, we found no evidence that rates of UR correlate with retroelement structural features in the conifers, suggesting that another process is suppressing UR in these species. Recent results from diverse eukaryotes indicate that heterochromatin affects the resolution of recombination, by favoring gene conversion over crossing-over, similar to our observation of opposed rates of UR and GCEs. Control of LTR-RT proliferation via formation of heterochromatin would be a likely step toward large genomes in eukaryotes carrying high LTR-RT content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Maria Cossu
- Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genova, Italy
| | - Claudio Casola
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University
| | - Stefania Giacomello
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.,Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Amaryllis Vidalis
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.,Section of Population Epigenetics and Epigenomics, Center of Life and Food Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Douglas G Scofield
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden.,Department of Ecology and Genetics: Evolutionary Biology, Uppsala University, Sweden.,Uppsala Multidisciplinary Center for Advanced Computational Science, Uppsala University, Sweden
| | - Andrea Zuccolo
- Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.,Istituto di Genomica Applicata, Udine, Italy
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Hao DC, Xiao PG. Deep in shadows: Epigenetic and epigenomic regulations of medicinal plants. CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chmed.2018.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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7
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Do Silviculture and Forest Management Affect the Genetic Diversity and Structure of Long-Impacted Forest Tree Populations? FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9060355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Herrera CM, Alonso C, Medrano M, Pérez R, Bazaga P. Transgenerational epigenetics: Inheritance of global cytosine methylation and methylation-related epigenetic markers in the shrub Lavandula latifolia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2018; 105:741-748. [PMID: 29727470 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY The ecological and evolutionary significance of natural epigenetic variation (i.e., not based on DNA sequence variants) variation will depend critically on whether epigenetic states are transmitted from parents to offspring, but little is known on epigenetic inheritance in nonmodel plants. METHODS We present a quantitative analysis of transgenerational transmission of global DNA cytosine methylation (= proportion of all genomic cytosines that are methylated) and individual epigenetic markers (= methylation status of anonymous MSAP markers) in the shrub Lavandula latifolia. Methods based on parent-offspring correlations and parental variance component estimation were applied to epigenetic features of field-growing plants ('maternal parents') and greenhouse-grown progenies. Transmission of genetic markers (AFLP) was also assessed for reference. KEY RESULTS Maternal parents differed significantly in global DNA cytosine methylation (range = 21.7-36.7%). Greenhouse-grown maternal families differed significantly in global methylation, and their differences were significantly related to maternal origin. Methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) markers exhibited significant transgenerational transmission, as denoted by significant maternal variance component of marker scores in greenhouse families and significant mother-offspring correlations of marker scores. CONCLUSIONS Although transmission-related measurements for global methylation and MSAP markers were quantitatively lower than those for AFLP markers taken as reference, this study has revealed extensive transgenerational transmission of genome-wide global cytosine methylation and anonymous epigenetic markers in L. latifolia. Similarity of results for global cytosine methylation and epigenetic markers lends robustness to this conclusion, and stresses the value of considering both types of information in epigenetic studies of nonmodel plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Herrera
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Conchita Alonso
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Mónica Medrano
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ricardo Pérez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas, Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Isla de La Cartuja, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-Universidad de, Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pilar Bazaga
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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He S, Xu W, Li F, Wang Y, Liu A. Intraspecific DNA methylation polymorphism in the non-edible oilseed plant castor bean. PLANT DIVERSITY 2017; 39:300-307. [PMID: 30159523 PMCID: PMC6112301 DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2017.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Investigation of the relationships of phenotypic and epigenetic variations might be a good way to dissect the genetic or molecular basis of phenotypic variation and plasticity in plants. Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), an important non-edible oilseed crop, is a mono-species genus plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Since it displays rich phenotypic variations with low genetic diversity, castor bean is a good model to investigate the molecular basis of phenotypic and epigenetic variations. Cytosine DNA methylation represents a major molecular mechanism of epigenetic occurrence. In this study, epigenetic diversity of sixty landrace accessions collected worldwide was investigated using the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique. Results showed that the epigenetic diversity (based on the polymorphism of DNA methylated loci) exhibited a medium variation (Ne = 1.395, He = 0.242, I = 0.366) at the population level though the variation was great, ranging from 3.80% to 34.31% among accessions. Both population structure analysis and the phylogenetic construction (using the neighbor-joining criteria) revealed that the two main clades were identified, but they did not display a distinct geographic structure. After inspecting the location of polymorphic methylated loci on genome we identified that the polymorphic methylated loci occur widely in nuclear and organelle genomes. This study provides new data to understand phenotypic and epigenetic variations in castor bean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan He
- Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Aizhong Liu
- Department of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
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10
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Rensing SA. Why we need more non-seed plant models. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 216:355-360. [PMID: 28191633 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Contents 355 I. 355 II. 356 III. 356 IV. 357 V. 358 VI. 359 359 References 359 SUMMARY: Out of a hundred sequenced and published land plant genomes, four are not of flowering plants. This severely skewed taxonomic sampling hinders our comprehension of land plant evolution at large. Moreover, most genetically accessible model species are flowering plants as well. If we are to gain a deeper understanding of how plants evolved and still evolve, and which of their developmental patterns are ancestral or derived, we need to study a more diverse set of plants. Here, I thus argue that we need to sequence genomes of so far neglected lineages, and that we need to develop more non-seed plant model species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan A Rensing
- Faculty of Biology, University of Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- BIOSS Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 18, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
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11
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Herrera CM, Medrano M, Bazaga P. Comparative spatial genetics and epigenetics of plant populations: heuristic value and a proof of concept. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:1653-64. [PMID: 26850938 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite the recent upsurge of interest on natural epigenetic variation of nonmodel organisms, factors conditioning the spatial structure of epigenetic diversity in wild plant populations remain virtually unexplored. We propose that information on processes shaping natural epigenetic variation can be gained using the spatial structure of genetic diversity as null model. Departures of epigenetic isolation-by-distance (IBD) patterns from genetic IBD patterns for the same sample, particularly differences in slope of similarity-distance regressions, will reflect the action of factors that operate specifically on epigenetic variation, including imperfect transgenerational inheritance and responsiveness to environmental factors of epigenetic marks. As a proof of concept, we provide a comparative analysis of spatial genetic and epigenetic structure of 200 mapped individuals of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus. Plants were fingerprinted using nuclear microsatellites, amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive AFLP markers. Expectations from individual-level IBD patterns were tested by means of kinship-distance regressions. Both genetic and epigenetic similarity between H. foetidus individuals conformed to theoretical expectations under individual-level IBD models. Irrespective of marker type, there were significant negative linear relationships between the kinship coefficient for plant pairs and their spatial separation. Regression slopes were significantly steeper for epigenetic markers. Epigenetic similarity between individuals was much greater than genetic similarity at shortest distances, such epigenetic 'kinship excess' tending to decrease as plant separation increased. Results suggest that moderate-to-high heritability and responsiveness to local environments are major drivers of epigenetic spatial structure in H. foetidus, and illustrate the heuristic value of comparing genetic and epigenetic spatial structure for formulating and testing hypotheses on forces shaping epigenetic diversity in wild plant populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Herrera
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de La Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Mónica Medrano
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de La Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Pilar Bazaga
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avenida Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de La Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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