Gene family evolution and natural selection signatures in Datura spp. (Solanaceae)

Abstract

Elucidating the diversification process of congeneric species makes it necessary to identify the factors promoting species variation and diversification. Comparative gene family analysis allows us to elucidate the evolutionary history of species by identifying common genetic/genomic mechanisms underlying species responses to biotic and abiotic environments at the genomic level. In this study, we analyzed the high-quality transcriptomes of four Datura species, D. inoxia, D. pruinosa, D. stramonium, and D. wrightii. We performed a thorough comparative gene family analysis to infer the role of selection in molecular variation, changes in protein physicochemical properties, and gain/loss of genes during their diversification processes. The results revealed common and species-specific signals of positive selection, physicochemical divergence and/or expansion of metabolic genes (e.g., transferases and oxidoreductases) associated with terpene and tropane metabolism and some resistance genes (R genes). The gene family analysis presented here is a valuable tool for understanding the genome evolution of economically and ecologically significant taxa such as the Solanaceae family.

Keywords

comparative genomics; Datura; gene family analysis; positive selection; secondary metabolites; transcriptomics

Published in

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2022, volume: 10, article number: 916762
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

SLU Authors

• de La Cruz Arguello, Ivan M.

  • National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

UKÄ Subject classification

Evolutionary Biology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.916762

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/120530