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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

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Published on: February 10, 2023
WOX neofunctionalization following an ancient duplication in mosses
George R L Greiff1, Max Bethell1, James Clark2
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
A newly identified gene, WOX13LC, in mosses suppresses sporophyte development, preventing multiple sporophytes. This discovery reveals a key evolutionary innovation in moss reproduction and maternal resource allocation.
Area of Science:
- Plant evolutionary biology
- Molecular genetics
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Gene duplication is a major driver of evolutionary innovation in plants.
- The WOX (WUSCHEL-like homeobox) gene family plays crucial roles in plant development.
- In land plants, an ancient duplication event created T1 and T2/T3 WOX clades, with bryophytes possessing only T1 WOX genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the previously presumed pseudogene PpWOX13LC in the moss Physcomitrium patens.
- To understand the evolutionary history and reproductive role of the WOX13LC gene clade in mosses.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic and structural analyses of WOX genes.
- Expression analysis of PpWOX13LC during reproductive development.
- Phenotypic analysis of Ppwox13lc mutants.
Main Results:
- PpWOX13LC is expressed during gametangium and egg development.
- Ppwox13lc mutants exhibit the development of supernumerary sporophytes.
- A moss-specific clade of WOX13LC genes with a unique 3' homeodomain extension was identified.
Conclusions:
- PpWOX13LC functions to suppress sporophyte development, opposing the sporophyte-promoting roles of PpWOX13LA and PpWOX13LB.
- The evolution of WOX13LC provided a mechanism to regulate the number of sporophytes, impacting maternal resource allocation and fitness.
- This divergence in WOX13L gene function represents a significant reproductive innovation during moss radiation.
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