Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 7, 2025
04:11
Pattern-Triggered Oxidative Burst and Seedling Growth Inhibition Assays in Arabidopsis thaliana
Published on: May 21, 2019
13.4K
Rose without prickle: genomic insights linked to moisture adaptation
Mi-Cai Zhong1, Xiao-Dong Jiang1, Guo-Qian Yang2
1CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.
National Science Review
|January 6, 2022
Summary
Researchers explored the genetic basis of rose prickle development by sequencing a prickle-free rose genome. They identified genetic factors influencing prickle density, potentially linked to water adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Plant Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Plant prickles serve defensive and water-conservation roles, but their genetic underpinnings and potential novel functions are not well understood.
- Investigating the molecular genetics of prickle patterning is crucial for understanding plant development and adaptation.
- Rose domestication involves significant genetic changes, impacting various traits including prickle formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate a high-quality reference genome assembly for a prickle-free rose cultivar ('Basye's Thornless', BT).
- To identify genetic elements and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with stem prickle development and density.
- To explore the evolutionary conservation and variation in the gene regulatory network (GRN) controlling prickle formation.
Main Methods:
- Genome sequencing and assembly of 'Basye's Thornless' (BT) rose.
- Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to map genes controlling prickle density.
- Differential gene expression analysis in identified QTL regions.
- Comparative genomics to assess GRN conservation.
Main Results:
- A high-quality reference genome for 'Basye's Thornless' was generated, revealing significant sequence diversity.
- Two QTL associated with stem prickle density were identified.
- Differentially expressed genes within QTL were linked to water-related functions, suggesting a link between prickle density and moisture adaptation.
- The prickle-related gene regulatory network (GRN) is conserved, but variations in key gene expression correlate with prickle density.
Conclusions:
- The study provides valuable genomic resources for understanding rose evolution and domestication.
- Prickle density in roses may be influenced by adaptations to moist environments.
- Variations in gene expression within a conserved GRN are associated with differences in prickle density, offering insights for future breeding.
Related Concept Videos
01:57Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
26.6K
Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
26.6K
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
29.3K
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
29.3K
01:20Monohybrid Crosses
232.6K
Overview
232.6K
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
14.0K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
14.0K
01:25Cell Signaling in Plants
5.8K
Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
5.8K
02:02Responses to Salt Stress
13.5K
Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.
13.5K