Qiu, Yichun
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Max Planck Society
Abstract
MADS-box transcription factors (TFs) are present in nearly all major eukaryotic groups. They are divided into Type I and Type II that differ in domain structure, functional roles, and rates of evolution. In flowering plants, major evolutionary innovations like flowers, ovules, and fruits have been closely connected to Type II MADS-box TFs. The role of Type I MADS-box TFs in angiosperm evolution remains to be identified. Here, we show that the formation of angiosperm-specific Type I MADS-box clades of M gamma and M gamma-interacting M alpha genes (M alpha*) can be tracked back to the ancestor of all angiosperms. Angiosperm-specific M gamma and M alpha* genes were preferentially expressed in the endosperm, consistent with their proposed function as heterodimers in the angiosperm-specific embryo nourishing endosperm tissue. We propose that duplication and diversification of Type I MADS genes underpin the evolution of the endosperm, a developmental innovation closely connected to the origin and success of angiosperms.
Keywords
plant reproduction; endosperm evolution; MADS-box transcription factors; gene duplication
Published in
Molecular Biology and Evolution
2021, volume: 39, number: 1, article number: msab355
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS
SLU Authors
Köhler, Claudia
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Max Planck Society
- Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
UKÄ Subject classification
Genetics and Genomics
Agricultural Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab355
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/116687