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de Vries S, Melkonian K, Pfeifer L. A multidisciplinary view on plant terrestrialization and the evolution of land plants. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14264. [PMID: 38527937 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie de Vries
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Katharina Melkonian
- Laboratoire De Recherche En Sciences Végétales (LRSV), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Evolution of Plant-Microbe Interactions, Pôle de Biotechnologies Végétales, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Lukas Pfeifer
- Pharmaceutical Institute, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, CAU Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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Evans SE, Franks AE, Bergman ME, Sethna NS, Currie MA, Phillips MA. Plastid ancestors lacked a complete Entner-Doudoroff pathway, limiting plants to glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1102. [PMID: 38321044 PMCID: PMC10847513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45384-y] [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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway provides an alternative to glycolysis. It converts 6-phosphogluconate (6-PG) to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate and pyruvate in two steps consisting of a dehydratase (EDD) and an aldolase (EDA). Here, we investigate its distribution and significance in higher plants and determine the ED pathway is restricted to prokaryotes due to the absence of EDD genes in eukaryotes. EDDs share a common origin with dihydroxy-acid dehydratases (DHADs) of the branched chain amino acid pathway (BCAA). Each dehydratase features strict substrate specificity. E. coli EDD dehydrates 6-PG to 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate, while DHAD only dehydrates substrates from the BCAA pathway. Structural modeling identifies two divergent domains which account for their non-overlapping substrate affinities. Coupled enzyme assays confirm only EDD participates in the ED pathway. Plastid ancestors lacked EDD but transferred metabolically promiscuous EDA, which explains the absence of the ED pathway from the Viridiplantae and sporadic persistence of EDA genes across the plant kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia E Evans
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Anya E Franks
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Matthew E Bergman
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Nasha S Sethna
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Mark A Currie
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto-Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Michael A Phillips
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G5, Canada.
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto-Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
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Murik O, Geffen O, Shotland Y, Fernandez-Pozo N, Ullrich KK, Walther D, Rensing SA, Treves H. Genomic imprints of unparalleled growth. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1144-1160. [PMID: 38072860 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Chlorella ohadii was isolated from desert biological soil crusts, one of the harshest habitats on Earth, and is emerging as an exciting new green model for studying growth, photosynthesis and metabolism under a wide range of conditions. Here, we compared the genome of C. ohadii, the fastest growing alga on record, to that of other green algae, to reveal the genomic imprints empowering its unparalleled growth rate and resistance to various stressors, including extreme illumination. This included the genome of its close relative, but slower growing and photodamage sensitive, C. sorokiniana UTEX 1663. A larger number of ribosome-encoding genes, high intron abundance, increased codon bias and unique genes potentially involved in metabolic flexibility and resistance to photodamage are all consistent with the faster growth of C. ohadii. Some of these characteristics highlight general trends in Chlorophyta and Chlorella spp. evolution, and others open new broad avenues for mechanistic exploration of their relationship with growth. This work entails a unique case study for the genomic adaptations and costs of exceptionally fast growth and sheds light on the genomic signatures of fast growth in photosynthetic cells. It also provides an important resource for future studies leveraging the unique properties of C. ohadii for photosynthesis and stress response research alongside their utilization for synthetic biology and biotechnology aims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omer Murik
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
- Medical Genetics Institute, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, 93722, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Or Geffen
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, 39040, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoram Shotland
- Chemical Engineering, Shamoon College of Engineering, 84100, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Noe Fernandez-Pozo
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Kristian Karsten Ullrich
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
- Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany
| | - Dirk Walther
- Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Andreas Rensing
- Plant Cell Biology, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Biological Signaling Studies (BIOSS), University of Freiburg, 79098, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Haim Treves
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel-Aviv University, 39040, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau, 67663, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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Rieseberg TP, Dadras A, Bergschmidt LIN, Bierenbroodspot MJ, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Irisarri I, de Vries S, Darienko T, de Vries J. Divergent responses in desiccation experiments in two ecophysiologically different Zygnematophyceae. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14056. [PMID: 38148198 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Water scarcity can be considered a major stressor on land, with desiccation being its most extreme form. Land plants have found two different solutions to this challenge: avoidance and tolerance. The closest algal relatives to land plants, the Zygnematophyceae, use the latter, and how this is realized is of great interest for our understanding of the conquest of land. Here, we worked with two representatives of the Zygnematophyceae, Zygnema circumcarinatum SAG 698-1b and Mesotaenium endlicherianum SAG 12.97, who differ in habitats and drought resilience. We challenged both algal species with severe desiccation in a laboratory setup until photosynthesis ceased, followed by a recovery period. We assessed their morphological, photophysiological, and transcriptomic responses. Our data pinpoint global differential gene expression patterns that speak of conserved responses, from calcium-mediated signaling to the adjustment of plastid biology, cell envelopes, and amino acid pathways, between Zygnematophyceae and land plants despite their strong ecophysiological divergence. The main difference between the two species appears to rest in a readjustment of the photobiology of Zygnema, while Mesotaenium experiences stress beyond a tipping point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim P Rieseberg
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Armin Dadras
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Luisa I N Bergschmidt
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maaike J Bierenbroodspot
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
- Section Phylogenomics, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
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Carrillo-Carrasco VP, Hernández-García J, Weijers D. Electroporation-based delivery of proteins in Penium margaritaceum and other zygnematophycean algae. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14121. [PMID: 38148204 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Zygnematophycean algae represent the streptophyte group identified as the closest sister clade to land plants. Their phylogenetic position and growing genomic resources make these freshwater algae attractive models for evolutionary studies in the context of plant terrestrialization. However, available genetic transformation protocols are limited and exclusively DNA-based. To expand the zygnematophycean toolkit, we developed a DNA-free method for protein delivery into intact cells using electroporation. We use confocal microscopy coupled with fluorescence lifetime imaging to assess the delivery of mNeonGreen into algal cells. We optimized the method to obtain high efficiency of delivery and cell recovery after electroporation in two strains of Penium margaritaceum and show that the experimental setup can also be used to deliver proteins in other zygnematophycean species such as Closterium peracerosum-strigosum-littorale complex and Mesotaenium endlicherianum. We discuss the possible applications of this proof-of-concept method.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dolf Weijers
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Van de Poel B, de Vries J. Evolution of ethylene as an abiotic stress hormone in streptophytes. ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023; 214:105456. [PMID: 37780400 PMCID: PMC10518463 DOI: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2023.105456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
All land plants modulate their growth and physiology through intricate signaling cascades. The majority of these are at least modulated-and often triggered-by phytohormones. Over the past decade, it has become apparent that some phytohormones have an evolutionary origin that runs deeper than plant terrestrialization-many emerged in the streptophyte algal progenitors of land plants. Ethylene is such a case. Here we synthesize the current knowledge on the evolution of the phytohormone ethylene and speculate about its deeply conserved role in adjusting stress responses of streptophytes for more than half a billion years of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram Van de Poel
- Molecular Plant Hormone Physiology lab, Division of Crop Biotechnics, Department of Biosystems, University of Leuven, Willem de Croylaan 42, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- KU Leuven Plant Institute (LPI), University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan de Vries
- University of Goettingen, Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Campus Institute Data Science (CIDAS), Goldschmidstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- University of Goettingen, Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Department of Applied Bioinformatics, Goldschmidtstr. 1, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
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7
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Dadras A, Fürst-Jansen JMR, Darienko T, Krone D, Scholz P, Sun S, Herrfurth C, Rieseberg TP, Irisarri I, Steinkamp R, Hansen M, Buschmann H, Valerius O, Braus GH, Hoecker U, Feussner I, Mutwil M, Ischebeck T, de Vries S, Lorenz M, de Vries J. Environmental gradients reveal stress hubs pre-dating plant terrestrialization. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1419-1438. [PMID: 37640935 PMCID: PMC10505561 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01491-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Plant terrestrialization brought forth the land plants (embryophytes). Embryophytes account for most of the biomass on land and evolved from streptophyte algae in a singular event. Recent advances have unravelled the first full genomes of the closest algal relatives of land plants; among the first such species was Mesotaenium endlicherianum. Here we used fine-combed RNA sequencing in tandem with a photophysiological assessment on Mesotaenium exposed to a continuous range of temperature and light cues. Our data establish a grid of 42 different conditions, resulting in 128 transcriptomes and ~1.5 Tbp (~9.9 billion reads) of data to study the combinatory effects of stress response using clustering along gradients. Mesotaenium shares with land plants major hubs in genetic networks underpinning stress response and acclimation. Our data suggest that lipid droplet formation and plastid and cell wall-derived signals have denominated molecular programmes since more than 600 million years of streptophyte evolution-before plants made their first steps on land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Dadras
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Janine M R Fürst-Jansen
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tatyana Darienko
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Denis Krone
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Patricia Scholz
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Siqi Sun
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Green Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Cornelia Herrfurth
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Service Unit for Metabolomics and Lipidomics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Tim P Rieseberg
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Iker Irisarri
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Section Phylogenomics, Centre for Molecular Biodiversity Research, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum of Nature, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rasmus Steinkamp
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Hansen
- Institute for Plant Sciences and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Henrik Buschmann
- Faculty of Applied Computer Sciences and Biosciences, Section Biotechnology and Chemistry, Molecular Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Mittweida, Germany
| | - Oliver Valerius
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences and Service Unit LCMS Protein Analytics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Gerhard H Braus
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences and Service Unit LCMS Protein Analytics, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Ute Hoecker
- Institute for Plant Sciences and Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Biocenter, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ivo Feussner
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Service Unit for Metabolomics and Lipidomics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Marek Mutwil
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Till Ischebeck
- Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Green Biotechnology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sophie de Vries
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Maike Lorenz
- Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Experimental Phycology and SAG Culture Collection of Algae, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Jan de Vries
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
- Campus Institute Data Science, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
- Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
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Powell AE, Heyl A. The origin and early evolution of cytokinin signaling. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1142748. [PMID: 37457338 PMCID: PMC10338860 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1142748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Angiosperms, especially Arabidopsis and rice, have long been at the center of plant research. However, technological advances in sequencing have led to a dramatic increase in genome and transcriptome data availability across land plants and, more recently, among green algae. These data allowed for an in-depth study of the evolution of different protein families - including those involved in the metabolism and signaling of phytohormones. While most early studies on phytohormone evolution were phylogenetic, those studies have started to be complemented by genetic and biochemical studies in recent years. Examples of such functional analyses focused on ethylene, jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and auxin. These data have been summarized recently. In this review, we will focus on the progress in our understanding of cytokinin biology. We will use these data to synthesize key points about the evolution of cytokinin metabolism and signaling, which might apply to the evolution of other phytohormones as well.
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Käppel S, Rümpler F, Theißen G. Cracking the Floral Quartet Code: How Do Multimers of MIKC C-Type MADS-Domain Transcription Factors Recognize Their Target Genes? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098253. [PMID: 37175955 PMCID: PMC10178880 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098253] [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: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
MADS-domain transcription factors (MTFs) are involved in the control of many important processes in eukaryotes. They are defined by the presence of a unique and highly conserved DNA-binding domain, the MADS domain. MTFs bind to double-stranded DNA as dimers and recognize specific sequences termed CArG boxes (such as 5'-CC(A/T)6GG-3') and similar sequences that occur hundreds of thousands of times in a typical flowering plant genome. The number of MTF-encoding genes increased by around two orders of magnitude during land plant evolution, resulting in roughly 100 genes in flowering plant genomes. This raises the question as to how dozens of different but highly similar MTFs accurately recognize the cis-regulatory elements of diverse target genes when the core binding sequence (CArG box) occurs at such a high frequency. Besides the usual processes, such as the base and shape readout of individual DNA sequences by dimers of MTFs, an important sublineage of MTFs in plants, termed MIKCC-type MTFs (MC-MTFs), has evolved an additional mechanism to increase the accurate recognition of target genes: the formation of heterotetramers of closely related proteins that bind to two CArG boxes on the same DNA strand involving DNA looping. MC-MTFs control important developmental processes in flowering plants, ranging from root and shoot to flower, fruit and seed development. The way in which MC-MTFs bind to DNA and select their target genes is hence not only of high biological interest, but also of great agronomic and economic importance. In this article, we review the interplay of the different mechanisms of target gene recognition, from the ordinary (base readout) via the extravagant (shape readout) to the idiosyncratic (recognition of the distance and orientation of two CArG boxes by heterotetramers of MC-MTFs). A special focus of our review is on the structural prerequisites of MC-MTFs that enable the specific recognition of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Käppel
- Matthias Schleiden Institute/Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Florian Rümpler
- Matthias Schleiden Institute/Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Günter Theißen
- Matthias Schleiden Institute/Genetics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
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McCourt RM, Lewis LA, Strother PK, Delwiche CF, Wickett NJ, de Vries J, Bowman JL. Green land: Multiple perspectives on green algal evolution and the earliest land plants. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16175. [PMID: 37247371 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Green plants, broadly defined as green algae and the land plants (together, Viridiplantae), constitute the primary eukaryotic lineage that successfully colonized Earth's emergent landscape. Members of various clades of green plants have independently made the transition from fully aquatic to subaerial habitats many times throughout Earth's history. The transition, from unicells or simple filaments to complex multicellular plant bodies with functionally differentiated tissues and organs, was accompanied by innovations built upon a genetic and phenotypic toolkit that have served aquatic green phototrophs successfully for at least a billion years. These innovations opened an enormous array of new, drier places to live on the planet and resulted in a huge diversity of land plants that have dominated terrestrial ecosystems over the past 500 million years. This review examines the greening of the land from several perspectives, from paleontology to phylogenomics, to water stress responses and the genetic toolkit shared by green algae and plants, to the genomic evolution of the sporophyte generation. We summarize advances on disparate fronts in elucidating this important event in the evolution of the biosphere and the lacunae in our understanding of it. We present the process not as a step-by-step advancement from primitive green cells to an inevitable success of embryophytes, but rather as a process of adaptations and exaptations that allowed multiple clades of green plants, with various combinations of morphological and physiological terrestrialized traits, to become diverse and successful inhabitants of the land habitats of Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M McCourt
- Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19118, USA
| | - Louise A Lewis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Paul K Strother
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road, Weston, MA, 02493, USA
| | - Charles F Delwiche
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Norman J Wickett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
| | - Jan de Vries
- Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Applied Bioinformatics, University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstr. 1, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - John L Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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