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Simón-Porcar V, Escudero M, Santos-Gally R, Sauquet H, Schönenberger J, Johnson SD, Arroyo J. Convergent evolutionary patterns of heterostyly across angiosperms support the pollination-precision hypothesis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1237. [PMID: 38336937 PMCID: PMC10858259 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45118-0] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the insights by Charles Darwin, heterostyly, a floral polymorphism with morphs bearing stigmas and anthers at reciprocal heights, has become a model system for the study of natural selection. Based on his archetypal heterostylous flower, including regular symmetry, few stamens and a tube, Darwin hypothesised that heterostyly evolved to promote outcrossing through efficient pollen transfer between morphs involving different areas of a pollinator's body, thus proposing his seminal pollination-precision hypothesis. Here we update the number of heterostylous and other style-length polymorphic taxa to 247 genera belonging to 34 families, notably expanding known cases by 20%. Using phylogenetic and comparative analyses across the angiosperms, we show numerous independent origins of style-length polymorphism associated with actinomorphic, tubular flowers with a low number of sex organs, stamens fused to the corolla, and pollination by long-tongued insects. These associations provide support for the Darwinian pollination-precision hypothesis as a basis for convergent evolution of heterostyly across angiosperms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Simón-Porcar
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, E-41080, Sevilla, Spain.
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa.
| | - Marcial Escudero
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, E-41080, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Hervé Sauquet
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jürg Schönenberger
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Steven D Johnson
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa
| | - Juan Arroyo
- Departamento de Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, E-41080, Sevilla, Spain.
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Ahmad M, Varela Alonso A, Koletti AE, Rodić N, Reichelt M, Rödel P, Assimopoulou AN, Paun O, Declerck S, Schneider C, Molin EM. Dynamics of alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis in response to jasmonate and salicylic acid in Lithospermum officinale. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17093. [PMID: 36224205 PMCID: PMC9554848 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21322-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Alkannin/shikonin and their derivatives are specialised metabolites of high pharmaceutical and ecological importance exclusively produced in the periderm of members of the plant family Boraginaceae. Previous studies have shown that their biosynthesis is induced in response to methyl jasmonate but not salicylic acid, two phytohormones that play important roles in plant defence. However, mechanistic understanding of induction and non-induction remains largely unknown. In the present study, we generated the first comprehensive transcriptomic dataset and metabolite profiles of Lithospermum officinale plants treated with methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid to shed light on the underlying mechanisms. Our results highlight the diverse biological processes activated by both phytohormones and reveal the important regulatory role of the mevalonate pathway in alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis in L. officinale. Furthermore, by modelling a coexpression network, we uncovered structural and novel regulatory candidate genes connected to alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis. Besides providing new mechanistic insights into alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis, the generated methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid elicited expression profiles together with the coexpression networks serve as important functional genomic resources for the scientific community aiming at deepening the understanding of alkannin/shikonin biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ahmad
- grid.4332.60000 0000 9799 7097Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tulln, Austria ,grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alicia Varela Alonso
- grid.506382.aInstitut für Pflanzenkultur GmbH & Co. KG., Schnega, Germany ,grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Antigoni E. Koletti
- grid.4793.90000000109457005Department of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry and Center of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation, Natural Products Research Centre of Excellence (NatPro-AUTh), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Nebojša Rodić
- grid.4793.90000000109457005Department of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry and Center of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation, Natural Products Research Centre of Excellence (NatPro-AUTh), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Michael Reichelt
- grid.418160.a0000 0004 0491 7131Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Philipp Rödel
- grid.506382.aInstitut für Pflanzenkultur GmbH & Co. KG., Schnega, Germany
| | - Andreana N. Assimopoulou
- grid.4793.90000000109457005Department of Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Organic Chemistry and Center of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation, Natural Products Research Centre of Excellence (NatPro-AUTh), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloníki, Greece
| | - Ovidiu Paun
- grid.10420.370000 0001 2286 1424Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stéphane Declerck
- grid.7942.80000 0001 2294 713XEarth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Carolin Schneider
- grid.506382.aInstitut für Pflanzenkultur GmbH & Co. KG., Schnega, Germany
| | - Eva M. Molin
- grid.4332.60000 0000 9799 7097Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tulln, Austria
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