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Merkulov P, Serganova M, Petrov G, Mityukov V, Kirov I. Long-read sequencing of extrachromosomal circular DNA and genome assembly of a Solanum lycopersicum breeding line revealed active LTR retrotransposons originating from S. Peruvianum L. introgressions. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:404. [PMID: 38658857 PMCID: PMC11044480 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10314-1] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are a major force in the evolution of plant genomes. Differences in the transposition activities and landscapes of TEs can vary substantially, even in closely related species. Interspecific hybridization, a widely employed technique in tomato breeding, results in the creation of novel combinations of TEs from distinct species. The implications of this process for TE transposition activity have not been studied in modern cultivars. In this study, we used nanopore sequencing of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) and identified two highly active Ty1/Copia LTR retrotransposon families of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), called Salsa and Ketchup. Elements of these families produce thousands of eccDNAs under controlled conditions and epigenetic stress. EccDNA sequence analysis revealed that the major parts of eccDNA produced by Ketchup and Salsa exhibited low similarity to the S. lycopersicum genomic sequence. To trace the origin of these TEs, whole-genome nanopore sequencing and de novo genome assembly were performed. We found that these TEs occurred in a tomato breeding line via interspecific introgression from S. peruvianum. Our findings collectively show that interspecific introgressions can contribute to both genetic and phenotypic diversity not only by introducing novel genetic variants, but also by importing active transposable elements from other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Merkulov
- All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, 127550, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Melania Serganova
- All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, 127550, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Georgy Petrov
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Vladislav Mityukov
- Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 121205, Moscow, Russia
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems (Kharkevich Institute), Russian Academy of Sciences, 127051, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya Kirov
- All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, 127550, Moscow, Russia.
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141701, Dolgoprudny, Russia.
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2
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de Tomás C, Vicient CM. The Genomic Shock Hypothesis: Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations of Transposable Elements after Interspecific Hybridization in Plants. EPIGENOMES 2023; 8:2. [PMID: 38247729 PMCID: PMC10801548 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes8010002] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) are major components of plant genomes with the ability to change their position in the genome or to create new copies of themselves in other positions in the genome. These can cause gene disruption and large-scale genomic alterations, including inversions, deletions, and duplications. Host organisms have evolved a set of mechanisms to suppress TE activity and counter the threat that they pose to genome integrity. These includes the epigenetic silencing of TEs mediated by a process of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). In most cases, the silencing machinery is very efficient for the vast majority of TEs. However, there are specific circumstances in which TEs can evade such silencing mechanisms, for example, a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses or in vitro culture. Hybridization is also proposed as an inductor of TE proliferation. In fact, the discoverer of the transposons, Barbara McClintock, first hypothesized that interspecific hybridization provides a "genomic shock" that inhibits the TE control mechanisms leading to the mobilization of TEs. However, the studies carried out on this topic have yielded diverse results, showing in some cases a total absence of mobilization or being limited to only some TE families. Here, we review the current knowledge about the impact of interspecific hybridization on TEs in plants and the possible implications of changes in the epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos M. Vicient
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics, CRAG (CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB), Campus UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Liu HN, Pei MS, Ampomah-Dwamena C, He GQ, Wei TL, Shi QF, Yu YH, Guo DL. Genome-wide characterization of long terminal repeat retrotransposons provides insights into trait evolution of four cucurbit species. Funct Integr Genomics 2023; 23:218. [PMID: 37393305 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-023-01128-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Cucurbits are a diverse plant family that includes economically important crops, such as cucumber, watermelon, melon, and pumpkin. Knowledge of the roles that long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) have played in diversification of cucurbit species is limited; to add to understanding of the roles of LTR-RTs, we assessed their distributions in four cucurbit species. We identified 381, 578, 1086, and 623 intact LTR-RTs in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. var. sativus cv. Chinese Long), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus subsp. vulgaris cv. 97103), melon (Cucumis melo cv. DHL92), and Cucurbita (Cucurbita moschata var. Rifu), respectively. Among these LTR-RTs, the Ale clade of the Copia superfamily was the most abundant in all the four cucurbit species. Insertion time and copy number analysis revealed that an LTR-RT burst occurred approximately 2 million years ago in cucumber, watermelon, melon, and Cucurbita, and may have contributed to their genome size variation. Phylogenetic and nucleotide polymorphism analyses suggested that most LTR-RTs were formed after species diversification. Analysis of gene insertions by LTR-RTs revealed that the most frequent insertions were of Ale and Tekay and that genes related to dietary fiber synthesis were the most commonly affected by LTR-RTs in Cucurbita. These results increase our understanding of LTR-RTs and their roles in genome evolution and trait characterization in cucurbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Nan Liu
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Mao-Song Pei
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | | | - Guang-Qi He
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Tong-Lu Wei
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Qiao-Fang Shi
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Yi-He Yu
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Da-Long Guo
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China.
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China.
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Bajus M, Macko-Podgórni A, Grzebelus D, Baránek M. A review of strategies used to identify transposition events in plant genomes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1080993. [PMID: 36531345 PMCID: PMC9751208 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1080993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) were initially considered redundant and dubbed 'junk DNA'. However, more recently they were recognized as an essential element of genome plasticity. In nature, they frequently become active upon exposition of the host to stress conditions. Even though most transposition events are neutral or even deleterious, occasionally they may happen to be beneficial, resulting in genetic novelty providing better fitness to the host. Hence, TE mobilization may promote adaptability and, in the long run, act as a significant evolutionary force. There are many examples of TE insertions resulting in increased tolerance to stresses or in novel features of crops which are appealing to the consumer. Possibly, TE-driven de novo variability could be utilized for crop improvement. However, in order to systematically study the mechanisms of TE/host interactions, it is necessary to have suitable tools to globally monitor any ongoing TE mobilization. With the development of novel potent technologies, new high-throughput strategies for studying TE dynamics are emerging. Here, we present currently available methods applied to monitor the activity of TEs in plants. We divide them on the basis of their operational principles, the position of target molecules in the process of transposition and their ability to capture real cases of actively transposing elements. Their possible theoretical and practical drawbacks are also discussed. Finally, conceivable strategies and combinations of methods resulting in an improved performance are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Bajus
- Mendeleum—Institute of Genetics, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, Lednice, Czechia
| | - Alicja Macko-Podgórni
- Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dariusz Grzebelus
- Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miroslav Baránek
- Mendeleum—Institute of Genetics, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, Lednice, Czechia
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Fukai E, Yoshikawa M, Shah N, Sandal N, Miyao A, Ono S, Hirakawa H, Akyol TY, Umehara Y, Nonomura KI, Stougaard J, Hirochika H, Hayashi M, Sato S, Andersen SU, Okazaki K. Widespread and transgenerational retrotransposon activation in inter- and intraspecies recombinant inbred populations of Lotus japonicus. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 111:1397-1410. [PMID: 35792830 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) constitute a large proportion of genomes of multicellular eukaryotes, including flowering plants. TEs are normally maintained in a silenced state and their transpositions rarely occur. Hybridization between distant species has been regarded as a 'shock' that stimulates genome reorganization, including TE mobilization. However, whether crosses between genetically close parents that result in viable and fertile offspring can induce TE transpositions has remained unclear. Here, we investigated the activation of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons in three Lotus japonicus recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. We found that at least six LTR retrotransposon families were activated and transposed in 78% of the RILs investigated. LORE1a, one of the transposed LTR retrotransposons, showed transgenerational epigenetic activation, indicating the long-term effects of epigenetic instability induced by hybridization. Our study highlights TE activation as an unexpectedly common event in plant reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eigo Fukai
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Ikarashi-ninocho, 950-2181, Niigata, Japan
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2, Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
- Plant Cytogenetics, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
- Department of Technology Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Manabu Yoshikawa
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2, Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Niraj Shah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Niels Sandal
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Akio Miyao
- Institute of Crop Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 2-1-2, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8518, Japan
| | - Seijiro Ono
- Plant Cytogenetics, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan
| | - Hideki Hirakawa
- Department of Technology Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Turgut Yigit Akyol
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yosuke Umehara
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2, Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Nonomura
- Department of Technology Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
| | - Jens Stougaard
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hirohiko Hirochika
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2, Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Makoto Hayashi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2, Oowashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
- Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Shusei Sato
- Department of Technology Development, Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba, 292-0818, Japan
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8577, Japan
| | | | - Keiichi Okazaki
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Ikarashi-ninocho, 950-2181, Niigata, Japan
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Viviani A, Ventimiglia M, Fambrini M, Vangelisti A, Mascagni F, Pugliesi C, Usai G. Impact of transposable elements on the evolution of complex living systems and their epigenetic control. Biosystems 2021; 210:104566. [PMID: 34718084 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104566] [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: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Transposable elements (TEs) contribute to genomic innovations, as well as genome instability, across a wide variety of species. Popular designations such as 'selfish DNA' and 'junk DNA,' common in the 1980s, may be either inaccurate or misleading, while a more enlightened view of the TE-host relationship covers a range from parasitism to mutualism. Both plant and animal hosts have evolved epigenetic mechanisms to reduce the impact of TEs, both by directly silencing them and by reducing their ability to transpose in the genome. However, TEs have also been co-opted by both plant and animal genomes to perform a variety of physiological functions, ranging from TE-derived proteins acting directly in normal biological functions to innovations in transcription factor activity and also influencing gene expression. Their presence, in fact, can affect a range of features at genome, phenotype, and population levels. The impact TEs have had on evolution is multifaceted, and many aspects still remain unexplored. In this review, the epigenetic control of TEs is contextualized according to the evolution of complex living systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambra Viviani
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Ventimiglia
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Fambrini
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alberto Vangelisti
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Flavia Mascagni
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Claudio Pugliesi
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Gabriele Usai
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE), University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto, 80-56124, Pisa, Italy
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Fambrini M, Usai G, Vangelisti A, Mascagni F, Pugliesi C. The plastic genome: The impact of transposable elements on gene functionality and genomic structural variations. Genesis 2020; 58:e23399. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Fambrini
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) University of Pisa Pisa Italy
| | - Gabriele Usai
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) University of Pisa Pisa Italy
| | - Alberto Vangelisti
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) University of Pisa Pisa Italy
| | - Flavia Mascagni
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) University of Pisa Pisa Italy
| | - Claudio Pugliesi
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (DAFE) University of Pisa Pisa Italy
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Low Long Terminal Repeat (LTR)-Retrotransposon Expression in Leaves of the Marine Phanerogam Posidonia Oceanica L. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10030030. [PMID: 32213979 PMCID: PMC7151569 DOI: 10.3390/life10030030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Seagrasses as Posidonia oceanica reproduce mostly by vegetative propagation, which can reduce genetic variability within populations. Since, in clonally propagated species, insurgence of genetic variability can be determined by the activity of transposable elements, we have estimated the activity of such repeat elements by measuring their expression level in the leaves of plants from a Mediterranean site, for which Illumina complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence reads (produced from RNAs isolated by leaves of plants from deep and shallow meadows) were publicly available. Firstly, we produced a collection of retrotransposon-related sequences and then mapped Illumina cDNA reads onto these sequences. With this approach, it was evident that Posidonia retrotransposons are, in general, barely expressed; only nine elements resulted transcribed at levels comparable with those of reference genes encoding tubulins and actins. Differences in transcript abundance were observed according to the superfamily and the lineage to which the retrotransposons belonged. Only small differences were observed between retrotransposon expression levels in leaves of shallow and deep Posidonia meadow stands, whereas one TAR/Tork element resulted differentially expressed in deep plants exposed to heat. It can be concluded that, in P. oceanica, the contribution of retrotransposon activity to genetic variability is reduced, although the nine specific active elements could actually produce new structural variations.
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