1
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Jia K, Duan J, Cheng G, Li H, Li S, Hu M. DNA Methylation is Involved in Sex Determination in Spinach. Biochem Genet 2024; 62:2455-2468. [PMID: 37950843 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-023-10524-4] [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: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation plays a critical role in the modulation of gene expression. The role of DNA methylation in sex determination was investigated in spinach. The differentiated cytosine CpG methylation profiles of CCGG motifs were assessed with methylation sensitivity amplification polymorphism (MSAP) in spinach. Among 442 DNA fragments from four plants, 134 methylated fragments were found. Relative proportions of methylation sites were 28.8% in male plants and 31.8% in female plants. At the same time, cytosine methylation levels were higher in females than in males in CCGG motifs of genomes in the spinach. These findings suggest that methylation of CG islands is involved in sex determination and differentiation in spinach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keli Jia
- School of Medical Laboratory, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Jiaming Duan
- School of Medical Laboratory, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | | | - Heng Li
- School of Medical Laboratory, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Shufen Li
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453007, China.
| | - Miao Hu
- School of Medical Laboratory, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
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2
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Kisvarga S, Hamar-Farkas D, Horotán K, Gyuricza C, Ražná K, Kučka M, Harenčár Ľ, Neményi A, Lantos C, Pauk J, Solti Á, Simon E, Bibi D, Mukherjee S, Török K, Tilly-Mándy A, Papp L, Orlóci L. Investigation of a Perspective Urban Tree Species, Ginkgo biloba L., by Scientific Analysis of Historical Old Specimens. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1470. [PMID: 38891279 PMCID: PMC11175039 DOI: 10.3390/plants13111470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we examined over 200-year-old Ginkgo biloba L. specimens under different environmental conditions. The overall aim was to explore which factors influence their vitality and general fitness in urban environments and thus their ability to tolerate stressful habitats. In order to determine this, we used a number of different methods, including histological examinations (stomatal density and size) and physiological measurements (peroxidase enzyme activity), as well as assessing the air pollution tolerance index (APTI). The investigation of the genetic relationships between individuals was performed using flow cytometry and miRNA marker methods. The genetic tests revealed that all individuals are diploid, whereas the lus-miR168 and lus-miR408 markers indicated a kinship relation between them. These results show that the effect of different habitat characteristics can be detected through morphological and physiological responses, thus indicating relatively higher stress values for all studied individuals. A significant correlation can be found between the level of adaptability and the relatedness of the examined individuals. These results suggest that Ginkgo biloba L. is well adapted to an environment with increased stress factors and therefore suitable for use in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szilvia Kisvarga
- Ornamental Plant and Green System Management Research Group, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary; (S.K.); (A.N.); (L.O.)
| | - Dóra Hamar-Farkas
- Ornamental Plant and Green System Management Research Group, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary; (S.K.); (A.N.); (L.O.)
- Department of Floriculture and Dendrology, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Katalin Horotán
- Institute of Biology, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, 3300 Eger, Hungary;
| | - Csaba Gyuricza
- Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1118 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Katarína Ražná
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia; (K.R.); (M.K.); (Ľ.H.)
| | - Matúš Kučka
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia; (K.R.); (M.K.); (Ľ.H.)
| | - Ľubomír Harenčár
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia; (K.R.); (M.K.); (Ľ.H.)
| | - András Neményi
- Ornamental Plant and Green System Management Research Group, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary; (S.K.); (A.N.); (L.O.)
| | - Csaba Lantos
- Cereal Research Non-Profit Company, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (C.L.); (J.P.)
| | - János Pauk
- Cereal Research Non-Profit Company, 6726 Szeged, Hungary; (C.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Ádám Solti
- Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Edina Simon
- Eötvös Loránd Research Network, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
- Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (D.B.); (S.M.)
| | - Dina Bibi
- Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (D.B.); (S.M.)
| | - Semonti Mukherjee
- Anthropocene Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (D.B.); (S.M.)
| | - Katalin Török
- Eotvos Lorand Res Network (ELKH), Institute of Plant Biology, Biological Research Centre, 6722 Szeged, Hungary;
| | - Andrea Tilly-Mándy
- Department of Floriculture and Dendrology, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - László Papp
- Füvészkert Botanical Garden, Eötvös Loránd University, 1053 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - László Orlóci
- Ornamental Plant and Green System Management Research Group, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Garden Art, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), 1223 Budapest, Hungary; (S.K.); (A.N.); (L.O.)
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3
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Charlesworth D, Harkess A. Why should we study plant sex chromosomes? THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:1242-1256. [PMID: 38163640 PMCID: PMC11062472 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Understanding plant sex chromosomes involves studying interactions between developmental and physiological genetics, genome evolution, and evolutionary ecology. We focus on areas of overlap between these. Ideas about how species with separate sexes (dioecious species, in plant terminology) can evolve are even more relevant to plants than to most animal taxa because dioecy has evolved many times from ancestral functionally hermaphroditic populations, often recently. One aim of studying plant sex chromosomes is to discover how separate males and females evolved from ancestors with no such genetic sex-determining polymorphism, and the diversity in the genetic control of maleness vs femaleness. Different systems share some interesting features, and their differences help to understand why completely sex-linked regions may evolve. In some dioecious plants, the sex-determining genome regions are physically small. In others, regions without crossing over have evolved sometimes extensive regions with properties very similar to those of the familiar animal sex chromosomes. The differences also affect the evolutionary changes possible when the environment (or pollination environment, for angiosperms) changes, as dioecy is an ecologically risky strategy for sessile organisms. Dioecious plants have repeatedly reverted to cosexuality, and hermaphroditic strains of fruit crops such as papaya and grapes are desired by plant breeders. Sex-linked regions are predicted to become enriched in genes with sex differences in expression, especially when higher expression benefits one sex function but harms the other. Such trade-offs may be important for understanding other plant developmental and physiological processes and have direct applications in plant breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Charlesworth
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Alex Harkess
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
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Filatov DA. Evolution of a plant sex chromosome driven by expanding pericentromeric recombination suppression. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1373. [PMID: 38228625 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51153-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Recombination suppression around sex-determining gene(s) is a key step in evolution of sex chromosomes, but it is not well understood how it evolves. Recently evolved sex-linked regions offer an opportunity to understand the mechanisms of recombination cessation. This paper analyses such a region on Silene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae) sex chromosomes, where recombination was suppressed in the last 120 thousand years ("stratum 3"). Locating the boundaries of the stratum 3 in S. latifolia genome sequence revealed that this region is far larger than assumed previously-it is about 14 Mb long and includes 202 annotated genes. A gradient of X:Y divergence detected in the stratum 3, with divergence increasing proximally, indicates gradual recombination cessation, possibly caused by expansion of pericentromeric recombination suppression (PRS) into the pseudoautosomal region. Expansion of PRS was also the likely cause for the formation of the older stratum 2 on S. latifolia sex chromosomes. The role of PRS in sex chromosome evolution has been underappreciated, but it may be a significant factor, especially in the species with large chromosomes where PRS is often extensive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry A Filatov
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK.
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Yue J, Krasovec M, Kazama Y, Zhang X, Xie W, Zhang S, Xu X, Kan B, Ming R, Filatov DA. The origin and evolution of sex chromosomes, revealed by sequencing of the Silene latifolia female genome. Curr Biol 2023:S0960-9822(23)00678-4. [PMID: 37290443 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
White campion (Silene latifolia, Caryophyllaceae) was the first vascular plant where sex chromosomes were discovered. This species is a classic model for studies on plant sex chromosomes due to presence of large, clearly distinguishable X and Y chromosomes that originated de novo about 11 million years ago (mya), but lack of genomic resources for this relatively large genome (∼2.8 Gb) remains a significant hurdle. Here we report S. latifolia female genome assembly integrated with sex-specific genetic maps of this species, focusing on sex chromosomes and their evolution. The analysis reveals a highly heterogeneous recombination landscape with strong reduction in recombination rate in the central parts of all chromosomes. Recombination on the X chromosome in female meiosis primarily occurs at the very ends, and over 85% of the X chromosome length is located in a massive (∼330 Mb) gene-poor, rarely recombining pericentromeric region (Xpr). The results indicate that the non-recombining region on the Y chromosome (NRY) initially evolved in a relatively small (∼15 Mb), actively recombining region at the end of the q-arm, possibly as a result of inversion on the nascent X chromosome. The NRY expanded about 6 mya via linkage between the Xpr and the sex-determining region, which may have been caused by expanding pericentromeric recombination suppression on the X chromosome. These findings shed light on the origin of sex chromosomes in S. latifolia and yield genomic resources to assist ongoing and future investigations into sex chromosome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Yue
- 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
| | - Marc Krasovec
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK; Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7232 Biologie Intégrative des Organismes Marins (BIOM), Observatoire Océanologique, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Yusuke Kazama
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Fukui Prefectural University, 4-1-1 Kenjojima, Matsuoka, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui 910-1195, Japan
| | - Xingtan Zhang
- 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; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Wangyang Xie
- 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
| | - Shencheng Zhang
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518100, China
| | - Xiuming Xu
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361100, China
| | - Baolin Kan
- 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
| | - 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.
| | - Dmitry A Filatov
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
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Garcia S, Janousek B, Pascual-Díaz JP, Renner SS. Sex-chrom v. 2.0: a database of green plant species with sex chromosomes. Chromosoma 2023; 132:55-58. [PMID: 36725728 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-023-00786-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sònia Garcia
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC), Passeig del Migdia S/N, 08038, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Bohuslav Janousek
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 612 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joan Pere Pascual-Díaz
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC), Passeig del Migdia S/N, 08038, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Susanne S Renner
- Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, 63130, USA
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Heterochiasmy and Sex Chromosome Evolution in Silene. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030543. [PMID: 36980816 PMCID: PMC10048291 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of a non-recombining sex-specific region is a key step in sex chromosome evolution. Suppression of recombination between the (proto-) X- and Y-chromosomes in male meiosis creates a non-recombining Y-linked region (NRY), while the X-chromosome continues to recombine in females. Lack of recombination in the NRY defines its main properties—genetic degeneration and accumulation of repetitive DNA, making X and Y chromosomes very different from each other. How and why recombination suppression on sex chromosomes evolves remains controversial. A strong difference in recombination rates between the sexes (heterochiasmy) can facilitate or even cause recombination suppression. In the extreme case—complete lack of recombination in the heterogametic sex (achiasmy)—the entire sex-specific chromosome is automatically non-recombining. In this study, I analyse sex-specific recombination rates in a dioecious plant Silene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae), which evolved separate sexes and sex chromosomes ~11 million years ago. I reconstruct high-density RNAseq-based genetic maps including over five thousand genic markers for the two sexes separately. The comparison of the male and female maps reveals only modest heterochiasmy across the genome, with the exception of the sex chromosomes, where recombination is suppressed in males. This indicates that heterochiasmy likely played only a minor, if any, role in NRY evolution in S. latifolia, as recombination suppression is specific to NRY rather than to the entire genome in males. Other mechanisms such as structural rearrangements and/or epigenetic modifications were likely involved, and comparative genome analysis and genetic mapping in multiple Silene species will help to shed light on the mechanism(s) of recombination suppression that led to the evolution of sex chromosomes.
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Zhang X, Wang X, Pan L, Guo W, Li Y, Wang W. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of MADS-box transcription factors reveal their involvement in sex determination of hardy rubber tree ( Eucommia ulmoides oliv.). Front Genet 2023; 14:1138703. [PMID: 36896236 PMCID: PMC9988917 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1138703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Eucommia ulmoides is a famous rubber-producing and medicinal tree species that produces unisexual flowers on separate individuals from the earliest stage of stamen/pistil primordium formation. To explore the genetic regulation pathway of sex in E. ulmoides, comprehensive genome-wide analyses and tissue-/sex-specific transcriptome comparisons of MADS-box transcription factors were performed for the first time in this work. Quantitative real-time PCR technique was employed to further validate the expression of genes that are assigned to floral organ ABCDE model. A total of 66 non-redundant E. ulmoides MADS-box (EuMADS) genes were identified, they were classified into Type I (M-type, 17 genes) and Type II (MIKC, 49 genes). Complex protein-motif composition, exon-intron structure and phytohormone-response cis-elements were detected in MIKC-EuMADS genes. Furthermore, 24 differentially-expressed EuMADS genes (DEGs) between male and female flowers, and two DEGs between male and female leaves were revealed. Amongst the 14 floral organ ABCDE model-related genes, there were 6 (A/B/C/E-class) and 5 (A/D/E-class) genes displayed male- and female-biased expression respectively. In particular, one B-class gene EuMADS39 and one A-class gene EuMADS65 were almost exclusively expressed in male trees, no matter in flower or leaf tissues. Collectively, these results suggested a critical role of MADS-box transcription factors in sex determination of E. ulmoides, which is conducive to decoding the molecular regulation mechanism of sex in E. ulmoides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianzhi Zhang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Linsi Pan
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Guo
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongquan Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wencai Wang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Zhang X, Pan L, Guo W, Li Y, Wang W. A convergent mechanism of sex determination in dioecious plants: Distinct sex-determining genes display converged regulation on floral B-class genes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:953445. [PMID: 36092432 PMCID: PMC9459113 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.953445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Sex determination in dioecious plants has been broadly and progressively studied with the blooming of genome sequencing and editing techniques. This provides us with a great opportunity to explore the evolution and genetic mechanisms underlining the sex-determining system in dioecious plants. In this study, comprehensively reviewing advances in sex-chromosomes, sex-determining genes, and floral MADS-box genes in dioecious plants, we proposed a convergent model that governs plant dioecy across divergent species using a cascade regulation pathway connecting sex-determining genes and MADS-box genes e.g., B-class genes. We believe that this convergent mechanism of sex determination in dioecious plants will shed light on our understanding of gene regulation and evolution of plant dioecy. Perspectives concerning the evolutionary pathway of plant dioecy are also suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianzhi Zhang
- Department of Horticulture, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Linsi Pan
- Department of Horticulture, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of Horticulture, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongquan Li
- Department of Horticulture, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wencai Wang
- Department of Molecular of Biology, Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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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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