1
|
Capilla-Pérez L, Solier V, Gilbault E, Lian Q, Goel M, Huettel B, Keurentjes JJB, Loudet O, Mercier R. Enhanced recombination empowers the detection and mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci. Commun Biol 2024; 7:829. [PMID: 38977904 PMCID: PMC11231358 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06530-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Modern plant breeding, such as genomic selection and gene editing, is based on the knowledge of the genetic architecture of desired traits. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, which combines high throughput phenotyping and genotyping of segregating populations, is a powerful tool to identify these genetic determinants and to decipher the underlying mechanisms. However, meiotic recombination, which shuffles genetic information between generations, is limited: Typically only one to two exchange points, called crossovers, occur between a pair of homologous chromosomes. Here we test the effect on QTL analysis of boosting recombination, by mutating the anti-crossover factors RECQ4 and FIGL1 in Arabidopsis thaliana full hybrids and lines in which a single chromosome is hybrid. We show that increasing recombination ~6-fold empowers the detection and resolution of QTLs, reaching the gene scale with only a few hundred plants. Further, enhanced recombination unmasks some secondary QTLs undetected under normal recombination. These results show the benefits of enhanced recombination to decipher the genetic bases of traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laia Capilla-Pérez
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Department of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Victor Solier
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Department of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Elodie Gilbault
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000, Versailles, France
| | - Qichao Lian
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Department of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Manish Goel
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Department of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Fakultät für Biologie, Biozentrum Martinsried, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Bruno Huettel
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Genome Center, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Joost J B Keurentjes
- Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Olivier Loudet
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000, Versailles, France.
| | - Raphael Mercier
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, MPIPZ, Department of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-Linné Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lian Q, Huettel B, Walkemeier B, Mayjonade B, Lopez-Roques C, Gil L, Roux F, Schneeberger K, Mercier R. A pan-genome of 69 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions reveals a conserved genome structure throughout the global species range. Nat Genet 2024; 56:982-991. [PMID: 38605175 PMCID: PMC11096106 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01715-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Although originally primarily a system for functional biology, Arabidopsis thaliana has, owing to its broad geographical distribution and adaptation to diverse environments, developed into a powerful model in population genomics. Here we present chromosome-level genome assemblies of 69 accessions from a global species range. We found that genomic colinearity is very conserved, even among geographically and genetically distant accessions. Along chromosome arms, megabase-scale rearrangements are rare and typically present only in a single accession. This indicates that the karyotype is quasi-fixed and that rearrangements in chromosome arms are counter-selected. Centromeric regions display higher structural dynamics, and divergences in core centromeres account for most of the genome size variations. Pan-genome analyses uncovered 32,986 distinct gene families, 60% being present in all accessions and 40% appearing to be dispensable, including 18% private to a single accession, indicating unexplored genic diversity. These 69 new Arabidopsis thaliana genome assemblies will empower future genetic research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qichao Lian
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Bruno Huettel
- Max Planck-Genome-centre Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Birgit Walkemeier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Baptiste Mayjonade
- Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes-Microbes-Environnement, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | | | - Lisa Gil
- INRAE, GeT-PlaGe, Genotoul, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Fabrice Roux
- Laboratoire des Interactions Plantes-Microbes-Environnement, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, CNRS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Korbinian Schneeberger
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany.
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Raphael Mercier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fernandes JB, Naish M, Lian Q, Burns R, Tock AJ, Rabanal FA, Wlodzimierz P, Habring A, Nicholas RE, Weigel D, Mercier R, Henderson IR. Structural variation and DNA methylation shape the centromere-proximal meiotic crossover landscape in Arabidopsis. Genome Biol 2024; 25:30. [PMID: 38254210 PMCID: PMC10804481 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03163-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Centromeres load kinetochore complexes onto chromosomes, which mediate spindle attachment and allow segregation during cell division. Although centromeres perform a conserved cellular function, their underlying DNA sequences are highly divergent within and between species. Despite variability in DNA sequence, centromeres are also universally suppressed for meiotic crossover recombination, across eukaryotes. However, the genetic and epigenetic factors responsible for suppression of centromeric crossovers remain to be completely defined. RESULTS To explore the centromere-proximal meiotic recombination landscape, we map 14,397 crossovers against fully assembled Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) genomes. A. thaliana centromeres comprise megabase satellite repeat arrays that load nucleosomes containing the CENH3 histone variant. Each chromosome contains a structurally polymorphic region of ~3-4 megabases, which lack crossovers and include the satellite arrays. This polymorphic region is flanked by ~1-2 megabase low-recombination zones. These recombination-suppressed regions are enriched for Gypsy/Ty3 retrotransposons, and additionally contain expressed genes with high genetic diversity that initiate meiotic recombination, yet do not crossover. We map crossovers at high-resolution in proximity to CEN3, which resolves punctate centromere-proximal hotspots that overlap gene islands embedded in heterochromatin. Centromeres are densely DNA methylated and the recombination landscape is remodelled in DNA methylation mutants. We observe that the centromeric low-recombining zones decrease and increase crossovers in CG (met1) and non-CG (cmt3) mutants, respectively, whereas the core non-recombining zones remain suppressed. CONCLUSION Our work relates the genetic and epigenetic organization of A. thaliana centromeres and flanking pericentromeric heterochromatin to the zones of crossover suppression that surround the CENH3-occupied satellite repeat arrays.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joiselle B Fernandes
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, D-50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthew Naish
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Qichao Lian
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, D-50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Robin Burns
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Andrew J Tock
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Fernando A Rabanal
- Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Piotr Wlodzimierz
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Anette Habring
- Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert E Nicholas
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Detlef Weigel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
- University of Tübingen, Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Raphael Mercier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, D-50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ian R Henderson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Vrielynck N, Peuch M, Durand S, Lian Q, Chambon A, Hurel A, Guérin J, Guérois R, Mercier R, Grelon M, Mézard C. SCEP1 and SCEP2 are two new components of the synaptonemal complex central element. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:2016-2030. [PMID: 37973938 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01558-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a proteinaceous structure that forms between homologous chromosomes during meiosis prophase. The SC is widely conserved across species, but its structure and roles during meiotic recombination are still debated. While the SC central region is made up of transverse filaments and central element proteins in mammals and fungi, few central element proteins have been identified in other species. Here we report the identification of two coiled-coil proteins, SCEP1 and SCEP2, that form a complex and localize at the centre of the Arabidopsis thaliana SC. In scep1 and scep2 mutants, chromosomes are aligned but not synapsed (the ZYP1 transverse filament protein is not loaded), crossovers are increased compared with the wild type, interference is lost and heterochiasmy is strongly reduced. We thus report the identification of two plant SC central elements, and homologues of these are found in all major angiosperm clades.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Vrielynck
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France
| | - Marion Peuch
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France
| | - Stéphanie Durand
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Qichao Lian
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Aurélie Chambon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France
| | - Aurélie Hurel
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France
| | - Julie Guérin
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France
| | - Raphaël Guérois
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Raphaël Mercier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mathilde Grelon
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France.
| | - Christine Mézard
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France.
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, Versailles, France.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li J, Shen J, Wang R, Chen Y, Zhang T, Wang H, Guo C, Qi J. The nearly complete assembly of the Cercis chinensis genome and Fabaceae phylogenomic studies provide insights into new gene evolution. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 4:100422. [PMID: 35957520 PMCID: PMC9860166 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Fabaceae is a large family of angiosperms with high biodiversity that contains a variety of economically important crops and model plants for the study of biological nitrogen fixation. Polyploidization events have been extensively studied in some Fabaceae plants, but the occurrence of new genes is still concealed, owing to a lack of genomic information on certain species of the basal clade of Fabaceae. Cercis chinensis (Cercidoideae) is one such species; it diverged earliest from Fabaceae and is essential for phylogenomic studies and new gene predictions in Fabaceae. To facilitate genomic studies on Fabaceae, we performed genome sequencing of C. chinensis and obtained a 352.84 Mb genome, which was further assembled into seven pseudochromosomes with 30 612 predicted protein-coding genes. Compared with other legume genomes, that of C. chinensis exhibits no lineage-specific polyploidization event. Further phylogenomic analyses of 22 legumes and 11 other angiosperms revealed that many gene families are lineage specific before and after the diversification of Fabaceae. Among them, dozens of genes are candidates for new genes that have evolved from intergenic regions and are thus regarded as de novo-originated genes. They differ significantly from established genes in coding sequence length, exon number, guanine-cytosine content, and expression patterns among tissues. Functional analysis revealed that many new genes are related to asparagine metabolism. This study represents an important advance in understanding the evolutionary pattern of new genes in legumes and provides a valuable resource for plant phylogenomic studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinglong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Jingting Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Yamao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Taikui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Haifeng Wang
- College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Chunce Guo
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
| | - Ji Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Introducing asexual reproduction through seeds - apomixis - into crop species could revolutionize agriculture by allowing F1 hybrids with enhanced yield and stability to be clonally propagated. Engineering synthetic apomixis has proven feasible in inbred rice through the inactivation of three genes (MiMe), which results in the conversion of meiosis into mitosis in a line ectopically expressing the BABYBOOM1 (BBM1) parthenogenetic trigger in egg cells. However, only 10-30% of the seeds are clonal. Here, we show that synthetic apomixis can be achieved in an F1 hybrid of rice by inducing MiMe mutations and egg cell expression of BBM1 in a single step. We generate hybrid plants that produce more than 95% of clonal seeds across multiple generations. Clonal apomictic plants maintain the phenotype of the F1 hybrid along successive generations. Our results demonstrate that there is no barrier to almost fully penetrant synthetic apomixis in an important crop species, rendering it compatible with use in agriculture.
Collapse
|
7
|
Joint control of meiotic crossover patterning by the synaptonemal complex and HEI10 dosage. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5999. [PMID: 36224180 PMCID: PMC9556546 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33472-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Meiotic crossovers are limited in number and are prevented from occurring close to each other by crossover interference. In many species, crossover number is subject to sexual dimorphism, and a lower crossover number is associated with shorter chromosome axes lengths. How this patterning is imposed remains poorly understood. Here, we show that overexpression of the Arabidopsis pro-crossover protein HEI10 increases crossovers but maintains some interference and sexual dimorphism. Disrupting the synaptonemal complex by mutating ZYP1 also leads to an increase in crossovers but, in contrast, abolishes interference and disrupts the link between chromosome axis length and crossovers. Crucially, combining HEI10 overexpression and zyp1 mutation leads to a massive and unprecedented increase in crossovers. These observations support and can be predicted by, a recently proposed model in which HEI10 diffusion along the synaptonemal complex drives a coarsening process leading to well-spaced crossover-promoting foci, providing a mechanism for crossover patterning. During meiosis, the number and distribution of crossovers (COs) are tightly controlled, but the mechanistic basis of this control is unclear. Here, by combining experimental data and mathematical modeling, the study advocates a CO patterning model via coarsening through the diffusion of HEI10 along the synaptonemal complex.
Collapse
|
8
|
Lian Q, Solier V, Walkemeier B, Durand S, Huettel B, Schneeberger K, Mercier R. The megabase-scale crossover landscape is largely independent of sequence divergence. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3828. [PMID: 35780220 PMCID: PMC9250513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31509-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Meiotic recombination frequency varies along chromosomes and strongly correlates with sequence divergence. However, the causal relationship between recombination landscapes and polymorphisms is unclear. Here, we characterize the genome-wide recombination landscape in the quasi-absence of polymorphisms, using Arabidopsis thaliana homozygous inbred lines in which a few hundred genetic markers were introduced through mutagenesis. We find that megabase-scale recombination landscapes in inbred lines are strikingly similar to the recombination landscapes in hybrids, with the notable exception of heterozygous large rearrangements where recombination is prevented locally. In addition, the megabase-scale recombination landscape can be largely explained by chromatin features. Our results show that polymorphisms are not a major determinant of the shape of the megabase-scale recombination landscape but rather favour alternative models in which recombination and chromatin shape sequence divergence across the genome. The frequency of recombination varies along chromosomes and highly correlates with sequence divergence. Here, the authors show that polymorphisms are not a major determinant of the megabase-scale recombination landscape in Arabidopsis, which is rather determined by chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qichao Lian
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Victor Solier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Birgit Walkemeier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Stéphanie Durand
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Bruno Huettel
- Max Planck-Genome-centre Cologne, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Korbinian Schneeberger
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany. .,Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Raphael Mercier
- Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|