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Hobza R, Bačovský V, Čegan R, Horáková L, Hubinský M, Janíček T, Janoušek B, Jedlička P, Kružlicová J, Kubát Z, Rodríguez Lorenzo JL, Novotná P, Hudzieczek V. Sexy ways: approaches to studying plant sex chromosomes. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:5204-5219. [PMID: 38652048 PMCID: PMC11389836 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Sex chromosomes have evolved in many plant species with separate sexes. Current plant research is shifting from examining the structure of sex chromosomes to exploring their functional aspects. New studies are progressively unveiling the specific genetic and epigenetic mechanisms responsible for shaping distinct sexes in plants. While the fundamental methods of molecular biology and genomics are generally employed for the analysis of sex chromosomes, it is often necessary to modify classical procedures not only to simplify and expedite analyses but sometimes to make them possible at all. In this review, we demonstrate how, at the level of structural and functional genetics, cytogenetics, and bioinformatics, it is essential to adapt established procedures for sex chromosome analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Hobza
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Bačovský
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Čegan
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Horáková
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marcel Hubinský
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Janíček
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Bohuslav Janoušek
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Jedlička
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Kružlicová
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Kubát
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - José Luis Rodríguez Lorenzo
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Novotná
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Hudzieczek
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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He L, Wang Y, Wang Y, Zhang RG, Wang Y, Hörandl E, Ma T, Mao YF, Mank JE, Ming R. Allopolyploidization from two dioecious ancestors leads to recurrent evolution of sex chromosomes. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6893. [PMID: 39134553 PMCID: PMC11319354 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51158-3] [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: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Polyploidization presents an unusual challenge for species with sex chromosomes, as it can lead to complex combinations of sex chromosomes that disrupt reproductive development. This is particularly true for allopolyploidization between species with different sex chromosome systems. Here, we assemble haplotype-resolved chromosome-level genomes of a female allotetraploid weeping willow (Salix babylonica) and a male diploid S. dunnii. We show that weeping willow arose from crosses between a female ancestor from the Salix-clade, which has XY sex chromosomes on chromosome 7, and a male ancestor from the Vetrix-clade, which has ancestral XY sex chromosomes on chromosome 15. We find that weeping willow has one pair of sex chromosomes, ZW on chromosome 15, that derived from the ancestral XY sex chromosomes in the male ancestor of the Vetrix-clade. Moreover, the ancestral 7X chromosomes from the female ancestor of the Salix-clade have reverted to autosomal inheritance. Duplicated intact ARR17-like genes on the four homologous chromosomes 19 likely have contributed to the maintenance of dioecy during polyploidization and sex chromosome turnover. Taken together, our results suggest the rapid evolution and reversion of sex chromosomes following allopolyploidization in weeping willow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li He
- Eastern China Conservation Centre for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, 201602, China.
| | - Yuàn Wang
- Eastern China Conservation Centre for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, 201602, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Eastern China Conservation Centre for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, 201602, China
- Laboratory of Systematic Evolution and Biogeography of Woody Plants, School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ren-Gang Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Integrative Conservation of Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, Yunnan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101408, China
| | - Yuán Wang
- Eastern China Conservation Centre for Wild Endangered Plant Resources, Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden, Shanghai, 201602, China
| | - Elvira Hörandl
- Department of Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants (with Herbarium), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tao Ma
- Key Laboratory for Bio‑Resource and Eco‑Environment of Ministry of Education & Sichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan-Fei Mao
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Judith E Mank
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Ray Ming
- Centre for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
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3
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Cecalev D, Viçoso B, Galupa R. Compensation of gene dosage on the mammalian X. Development 2024; 151:dev202891. [PMID: 39140247 PMCID: PMC11361640 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202891] [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] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Changes in gene dosage can have tremendous evolutionary potential (e.g. whole-genome duplications), but without compensatory mechanisms, they can also lead to gene dysregulation and pathologies. Sex chromosomes are a paradigmatic example of naturally occurring gene dosage differences and their compensation. In species with chromosome-based sex determination, individuals within the same population necessarily show 'natural' differences in gene dosage for the sex chromosomes. In this Review, we focus on the mammalian X chromosome and discuss recent new insights into the dosage-compensation mechanisms that evolved along with the emergence of sex chromosomes, namely X-inactivation and X-upregulation. We also discuss the evolution of the genetic loci and molecular players involved, as well as the regulatory diversity and potentially different requirements for dosage compensation across mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Cecalev
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD) Unit, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Beatriz Viçoso
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Rafael Galupa
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCD) Unit, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), University of Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France
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Hubinský M, Hobza R, Starczak M, Gackowski D, Kubát Z, Janíček T, Horáková L, Rodriguez Lorenzo JL. Non-canonical bases differentially represented in the sex chromosomes of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2024; 75:3849-3861. [PMID: 38652039 PMCID: PMC11233409 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC), known as oxi-mCs, garners significant interest in plants as potential epigenetic marks. While research in mammals has established a role in cell reprogramming, carcinogenesis, and gene regulation, their functions in plants remain unclear. In rice, 5hmC has been associated with transposable elements (TEs) and heterochromatin. This study utilizes Silene latifolia, a dioecious plant with heteromorphic sex chromosomes and a genome with a large proportion of TEs, which provides a favourable environment for the study of oxi-mCs in individual sexes. Notably, we detected surprisingly high levels of oxi-mCs in S. latifolia comparable with mammals. Nuclei showed enrichment in heterochromatic regions, except for 5hmC whose signal was homogeneously distributed. Intriguingly, the same X chromosome in females displayed overall enrichment of 5hmC and 5fC compared with its counterpart. This fact is shared with 5mC, resembling dosage compensation. Co-localization showed higher correlation between 5mC and 5fC than with 5hmC, indicating no potential relationship between 5hmC and 5fC. Additionally, the promoter of several sex-linked genes and sex-biased TEs clustered in a clear sex-dependent way. Together, these findings unveil a hypothetical role for oxi-mCs in S. latifolia sex chromosome development, warranting further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Hubinský
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Hobza
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marta Starczak
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Karlowicza 24, PO-85-092, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Daniel Gackowski
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, ul. Karlowicza 24, PO-85-092, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Zdeněk Kubát
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Janíček
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Horáková
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jose Luis Rodriguez Lorenzo
- Department of Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
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Carballo J, Achilli A, Hernández F, Bocchini M, Pasten MC, Marconi G, Albertini E, Zappacosta D, Echenique V. Differentially methylated genes involved in reproduction and ploidy levels in recent diploidized and tetraploidized Eragrostis curvula genotypes. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2024; 37:133-145. [PMID: 38055074 PMCID: PMC11180019 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-023-00490-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetics studies changes in gene activity without changes in the DNA sequence. Methylation is an epigenetic mechanism important in many pathways, such as biotic and abiotic stresses, cell division, and reproduction. Eragrostis curvula is a grass species reproducing by apomixis, a clonal reproduction by seeds. This work employed the MCSeEd technique to identify deferentially methylated positions, regions, and genes in the CG, CHG, and CHH contexts in E. curvula genotypes with similar genomic backgrounds but with different reproductive modes and ploidy levels. In this way, we focused the analysis on the cvs. Tanganyika INTA (4x, apomictic), Victoria (2x, sexual), and Bahiense (4x, apomictic). Victoria was obtained from the diploidization of Tanganyika INTA, while Bahiense was produced from the tetraploidization of Victoria. This study showed that polyploid/apomictic genotypes had more differentially methylated positions and regions than the diploid sexual ones. Interestingly, it was possible to observe fewer differentially methylated positions and regions in CG than in the other contexts, meaning CG methylation is conserved across the genotypes regardless of the ploidy level and reproductive mode. In the comparisons between sexual and apomictic genotypes, we identified differentially methylated genes involved in the reproductive pathways, specifically in meiosis, cell division, and fertilization. Another interesting observation was that several differentially methylated genes between the diploid and the original tetraploid genotype recovered their methylation status after tetraploidization, suggesting that methylation is an important mechanism involved in reproduction and ploidy changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Carballo
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - A Achilli
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - F Hernández
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
- Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), San Andrés 800, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - M Bocchini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06121, Perugia, Italy
| | - M C Pasten
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - G Marconi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06121, Perugia, Italy
| | - E Albertini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Perugia, 06121, Perugia, Italy.
| | - D Zappacosta
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
- Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), San Andrés 800, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
| | - V Echenique
- Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida (CERZOS-CCT-CONICET Bahía Blanca), Camino de La Carrindanga Km 7, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
- Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), San Andrés 800, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
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Kazama Y, Kobayashi T, Filatov DA. Evolution of sex-determination in dioecious plants: From active Y to X/A balance? Bioessays 2023; 45:e2300111. [PMID: 37694687 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Sex chromosomes in plants have been known for a century, but only recently have we begun to understand the mechanisms behind sex determination in dioecious plants. Here, we discuss evolution of sex determination, focusing on Silene latifolia, where evolution of separate sexes is consistent with the classic "two mutations" model-a loss of function male sterility mutation and a gain of function gynoecium suppression mutation, which turned an ancestral hermaphroditic population into separate males and females. Interestingly, the gynoecium suppression function in S. latifolia evolved via loss of function in at least two sex-linked genes and works via gene dosage balance between sex-linked, and autosomal genes. This system resembles X/A-ratio-based sex determination systems in Drosophila and Rumex, and could represent a steppingstone in the evolution of X/A-ratio-based sex determination from an active Y system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Kazama
- Graduate school of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, Japan
- RIKEN Nishina Center, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Taiki Kobayashi
- Graduate school of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, Japan
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Guillotin B, Rahni R, Passalacqua M, Mohammed MA, Xu X, Raju SK, Ramírez CO, Jackson D, Groen SC, Gillis J, Birnbaum KD. A pan-grass transcriptome reveals patterns of cellular divergence in crops. Nature 2023; 617:785-791. [PMID: 37165193 PMCID: PMC10657638 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06053-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Different plant species within the grasses were parallel targets of domestication, giving rise to crops with distinct evolutionary histories and traits1. Key traits that distinguish these species are mediated by specialized cell types2. Here we compare the transcriptomes of root cells in three grass species-Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis. We show that single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing provide complementary readouts of cell identity in dicots and monocots, warranting a combined analysis. Cell types were mapped across species to identify robust, orthologous marker genes. The comparative cellular analysis shows that the transcriptomes of some cell types diverged more rapidly than those of others-driven, in part, by recruitment of gene modules from other cell types. The data also show that a recent whole-genome duplication provides a rich source of new, highly localized gene expression domains that favour fast-evolving cell types. Together, the cell-by-cell comparative analysis shows how fine-scale cellular profiling can extract conserved modules from a pan transcriptome and provide insight on the evolution of cells that mediate key functions in crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Guillotin
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ramin Rahni
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Mohammed Ateequr Mohammed
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Xiaosa Xu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sunil Kenchanmane Raju
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Carlos Ortiz Ramírez
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- UGA-LANGEBIO Cinvestav, Guanajuato, México
| | | | - Simon C Groen
- Department of Nematology and Center for Plant Cell Biology, Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Jesse Gillis
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kenneth D Birnbaum
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Telomeres and Their Neighbors. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091663. [PMID: 36140830 PMCID: PMC9498494 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are essential structures formed from satellite DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes in most eukaryotes. Satellite DNA repeat sequences are useful markers for karyotyping, but have a more enigmatic role in the eukaryotic cell. Much work has been done to investigate the structure and arrangement of repetitive DNA elements in classical models with implications for species evolution. Still more is needed until there is a complete picture of the biological function of DNA satellite sequences, particularly when considering non-model organisms. Celebrating Gregor Mendel’s anniversary by going to the roots, this review is designed to inspire and aid new research into telomeres and satellites with a particular focus on non-model organisms and accessible experimental and in silico methods that do not require specialized equipment or expensive materials. We describe how to identify telomere (and satellite) repeats giving many examples of published (and some unpublished) data from these techniques to illustrate the principles behind the experiments. We also present advice on how to perform and analyse such experiments, including details of common pitfalls. Our examples are a selection of recent developments and underexplored areas of research from the past. As a nod to Mendel’s early work, we use many examples from plants and insects, especially as much recent work has expanded beyond the human and yeast models traditional in telomere research. We give a general introduction to the accepted knowledge of telomere and satellite systems and include references to specialized reviews for the interested reader.
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Renner SS, Müller NA. Sex determination and sex chromosome evolution in land plants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210210. [PMID: 35306895 PMCID: PMC8935313 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Linnaeus's very first opus, written when he was 22 years old, dealt with the analogy that exists between plants and animals in how they 'propagate their species', and a revised version with a plate depicting the union of male and female Mercurialis annua plants became a foundational text on the sexuality of plants. The question how systems with separate males and females have evolved in sedentary organisms that appear ancestrally bisexual has fascinated biologists ever since. The phenomenon, termed dioecy, has important consequences for plant reproductive success and is of commercial interest since it affects seed quality and fruit production. This theme issue presents a series of articles that synthesize and challenge the current understanding of how plants achieve dioecy. The articles deal with a broad set of taxa, including Coccinia, Ginkgo, Mercurialis, Populus, Rumex and Silene, as well as overarching topics, such as the field's terminology, analogies with animal sex determination systems, evolutionary pathways to dioecy, dosage compensation, and the longevity of the two sexes. In this introduction, we focus on four topics, each addressed by several articles from different angles and with different conclusions. Our highlighting of unclear or controversial issues may help future studies to build on the current understanding and to ask new questions that will expand our knowledge of plant sexual systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sex determination and sex chromosome evolution in land plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne S. Renner
- Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Niels A. Müller
- Thünen-Institute of Forest Genetics, Sieker Landstrasse 2, 22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany
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