Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Gene Editing in Bamboo Leaves for Sustainable Plastic Alternatives
Published on: August 18, 2023
Genome assemblies of 11 bamboo species highlight diversification induced by dynamic subgenome dominance
Peng-Fei Ma1, Yun-Long Liu1, Cen Guo1,2
1Germplasm Bank of Wild Species & Yunnan Key Laboratory of Crop Wild Relatives Omics, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Abstract:
Polyploidy (genome duplication) is a pivotal force in evolution. However, the interactions between parental genomes in a polyploid nucleus, frequently involving subgenome dominance, are poorly understood. Here we showcase analyses of a bamboo system (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) comprising a series of lineages from diploid (herbaceous) to tetraploid and hexaploid (woody), with 11 chromosome-level de novo genome assemblies and 476 transcriptome samples. We find that woody bamboo subgenomes exhibit stunning karyotype stability, with parallel subgenome dominance in the two tetraploid clades and a gradual shift of dominance in the hexaploid clade. Allopolyploidization and subgenome dominance have shaped the evolution of tree-like lignified culms, rapid growth and synchronous flowering characteristic of woody bamboos as large grasses. Our work provides insights into genome dominance in a remarkable polyploid system, including its dependence on genomic context and its ability to switch which subgenomes are dominant over evolutionary time.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
Genome Annotation and Assembly
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
Genetics of Speciation
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...

