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Ancient structural variants control sex-specific flowering time morphs in walnuts and hickories
Jeffrey S Groh1,2, Diane C Vik1, Matthew Davis3
1Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
Sexual reproduction strategies in walnuts and hickories are shaped by ancient DNA polymorphisms controlling flowering order. These genetic mechanisms, over 37 million years old, reveal conserved inheritance patterns in plants.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Plant genetics
- Reproductive strategies
Background:
- Mating type polymorphisms provide insights into sexual reproduction.
- Hermaphroditic plants in Juglandaceae, like walnuts (Juglans) and hickories (Carya), exhibit heterodichogamy (a 1:1 dimorphism for male vs. female flowering order).
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the genetic mechanisms underlying heterodichogamy in Juglandaceae.
- To investigate the evolutionary history and conservation of these reproductive strategies.
Main Methods:
- Mapping of Mendelian inheritance mechanisms to ancient structural DNA polymorphisms.
- Analysis of gene expression and DNA sequences in Juglans and Carya.
Main Results:
- Two distinct Mendelian inheritance mechanisms were identified, linked to ancient DNA polymorphisms (>37 million years old).
- In Juglans, female-first flowering is associated with tandem repeats in the 3' UTR of a trehalose-6-phosphate metabolism gene, influencing cis gene expression.
- The Carya locus involves ~20 syntenic genes and shows signatures of sex chromosome-like evolution.
Conclusions:
- The inheritance mechanisms for heterodichogamy are deeply conserved across ancient lineages.
- While conserved, these mechanisms can occasionally undergo turnover, similar to sex determination processes.
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