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Lignin Down-regulation of Zea mays via dsRNAi and Klason Lignin Analysis
Published on: July 23, 2014
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Teosinte Pollen Drive guides maize diversification and domestication by RNAi.
Benjamin Berube1, Evan Ernst1, Jonathan Cahn1
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor NY11724.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 28, 2023
Summary
Teosinte Pollen Drive, a gene drive in maize-teosinte hybrids, uses RNA interference to bias transmission through pollen. This mechanism likely influenced maize domestication and diversification.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Meiotic drivers manipulate reproductive development to bias their own transmission, challenging Mendelian inheritance.
- Chromosomal drive typically occurs in female meiosis, while gene drive is usually postmeiotic and male-specific.
Approach:
- Utilized single-molecule and single-pollen genome sequencing to identify and characterize Teosinte Pollen Drive.
- Investigated the role of RNA interference (RNAi), Dicer-Like 2 (Dcl2), and Teosinte Drive Responder 1 (Tdr1) in the drive mechanism.
- Surveyed maize landraces and teosinte populations for patterns of admixture related to RNAi genes.
Key Points:
- Teosinte Pollen Drive is a male-specific gene drive in maize-teosinte hybrids dependent on RNAi.
- Small RNAs produced by a non-coding RNA hairpin in mexicana target Tdr1, a gene essential for pollen viability.
- Dcl2, Tdr1, and the hairpin are tightly linked on chromosome 5 during male transmission.
- Admixture patterns suggest multiple RNAi genes on different chromosomes are subject to gene drive.
Conclusions:
- Teosinte Pollen Drive likely played a significant role in the domestication and diversification of maize.
- This mechanism provides an explanation for the prevalence of "self" small RNAs in plant and animal germlines.
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