Repeated polyploidization of Gossypium genomes and the evolution of spinnable cotton fibres.

Polyploidy often confers emergent properties, such as the higher fibre productivity and quality of tetraploid cottons than diploid cottons bred for the same environments. Here we show that an abrupt five- to sixfold ploidy increase approximately 60 million years (Myr) ago, and allopolyploidy reuniting divergent Gossypium genomes approximately 1-2 Myr ago, conferred about 30-36-fold duplication of ancestral angiosperm (flowering plant) genes in elite cottons (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense), genetic complexity equalled only by Brassica among sequenced angiosperms. Nascent fibre evolution, before allopolyploidy, is elucidated by comparison of spinnable-fibred Gossypium herbaceum A and non-spinnable Gossypium longicalyx F genomes to one another and the outgroup D genome of non-spinnable Gossypium raimondii. The sequence of a G. hirsutum A(t)D(t) (in which 't' indicates tetraploid) cultivar reveals many non-reciprocal DNA exchanges between subgenomes that may have contributed to phenotypic innovation and/or other emergent properties such as ecological adaptation by polyploids. Most DNA-level novelty in G. hirsutum recombines alleles from the D-genome progenitor native to its New World habitat and the Old World A-genome progenitor in which spinnable fibre evolved. Coordinated expression changes in proximal groups of functionally distinct genes, including a nuclear mitochondrial DNA block, may account for clusters of cotton-fibre quantitative trait loci affecting diverse traits. Opportunities abound for dissecting emergent properties of other polyploids, particularly angiosperms, by comparison to diploid progenitors and outgroups.

Functional and evolutionary relationships between terpene synthases from Australian Myrtaceae.

Myrtaceae is one of the chemically most variable and most significant essential oil yielding plant families. Despite an abundance of chemical information, very little work has focussed on the biochemistry of terpene production in these plants. We describe 70 unique partial terpene synthase transcripts and eight full-length cDNA clones from 21 myrtaceous species, and compare phylogenetic relationships and leaf oil composition to reveal clades defined by common function. We provide further support for the correlation between function and phylogenetic relationships by the first functional characterisation of terpene synthases from Myrtaceae: a 1,8-cineole synthase from Eucalyptus sideroxylon and a caryophyllene synthase from Eucalyptusdives.

Local origin of two vegetative compatibility groups of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum in Australia.

Pathogenicity and genetic diversity of Fusarium oxysporum from geographically widespread native Gossypium populations, including a cotton growing area believed to be the center of origin of VCG 01111 and VCG 01112 of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) in Australia, was determined using glasshouse bioassays and AFLPs. Five lineages (A-E) were identified among 856 isolates. Of these, 12% were strongly pathogenic on cotton, 10% were weakly pathogenic and designated wild Fov, while 78% were nonpathogenic. In contrast to the occurrence of pathogenic isolates in all five lineages in soils associated with wild Gossypium, in cotton growing areas only three lineages (A, B, E) occurred and all pathogenic isolates belonged to two subgroups in lineage A. One of these contained VCG 01111 isolates while the other contained VCG 01112 isolates. Sequence analyses of translation elongation factor-1α, mitochondrial small subunit rDNA, nitrate reductase and phosphate permease confirmed that Australian Fov isolates were more closely related to lineage A isolates of native F. oxysporum than to Fov races 1-8 found overseas. These results strongly support a local evolutionary origin for Fov in Australian cotton growing regions.

Frequency and fidelity of alien chromosome transmission in Gossypium hexaploid bridging populations.

The Australian diploid Gossypium species possess traits of potential agronomical value, such as gossypol-free seeds and Fusarium wilt resistance. However, they belong to the tertiary germplasm pool, which is the most difficult group of species from which to introgress genes into G. barbadense L. and G. hirsutum L. Interspecific triploid hybrids can be generated but they are sterile. The sterility barrier can be overcome using synthetic polyploids as introgression bridges, but whether there is sufficient homoeologous chromosome interaction at meiosis to allow recombination is still an open question. To ascertain, genetically, observable levels of homoeologous introgression, 2 synthetic hexaploid lines (2x G. hirsutum x G. australe and 2x G. hirsutum x G. sturtianum) were crossed to G. hirsutum to generate pentaploid F1 plants that, in turn, were backcrossed to G. hirsutum to generate BC1 and BC2 multiple alien chromosome addition lines (MACALs). Gossypium australe F. Muell. and G. sturtianum Willis chromosome-specific markers were used to track the frequency and fidelity of chromosome transmission to the BC1 and BC2 MACALs. The chromosomal location of the AFLP markers was determined by their distribution among the MACALs and confirmed in parental F2 families. Roughly half the available chromosomes were transmitted to the G. hirsutum x G. australe (54%) and G. hirsutum x G. sturtianum (52%) BC1 MACALs. The BC2 MACAL families again inherited about half of the available chromosomes. There were, however, notable exceptions for specific chromosomes. Some chromosomes were preferentially eliminated, while others were preferentially transmitted. Consistent with the genomic stability of Gossypium synthetic polyploids, the de novo loss or gain of AFLP fragments was rarely observed. While restructuring of the donor G. australe and G. sturtianum chromosomes was observed, this is more likely the result of chromatin loss, and no clear cases of introgression of donor chromatin into the recipient G. hirsutum genome were observed.

Fungal endophytes of native Gossypium species in Australia.

Fungal endophytes of 17 genera were found in stems of four native Gossypium species (G. australe, G. bickii, G. nelsonii, G. sturtianum) collected from inland areas in Queensland, the Northern Territory, and South Australia in 2001. Phoma, Alternaria, Fusarium, Botryosphaeria, Dichomera, and Phomopsis were common, accounting for 58, 18, 11, 3, 1, and 1 % of the 281 recovered isolates, respectively, and occurring in 47, 29, 19, 5, 5, and 4 % of the 79 sampled populations. Among the four Gossypium species in Queensland and the Northern Territory, Alternaria spp. and Fusarium spp. had the greatest recovery frequency in G. bickii stems. The recovery frequencies of Phoma spp. and Alternaria spp. were significantly greater in the G. sturtianum stems collected from South Australia than in those from Queensland and the Northern Territory. Pathogenicity of 42 representative isolates was tested on cultivated cotton (G. hirsutum). All isolates caused some localized discoloration in stem tissue when inoculation was conducted with the stem puncturing method, but none of the isolates could induce any foliar symptoms during the five-week experimental period by either inoculation method (root dipping or stem puncturing), suggesting that the endophytic fungi of native Gossypium species are unlikely sources of cotton pathogens.

A 3347-locus genetic recombination map of sequence-tagged sites reveals features of genome organization, transmission and evolution of cotton (Gossypium).

We report genetic maps for diploid (D) and tetraploid (AtDt) Gossypium genomes composed of sequence-tagged sites (STS) that foster structural, functional, and evolutionary genomic studies. The maps include, respectively, 2584 loci at 1.72-cM ( approximately 600 kb) intervals based on 2007 probes (AtDt) and 763 loci at 1.96-cM ( approximately 500 kb) intervals detected by 662 probes (D). Both diploid and tetraploid cottons exhibit negative crossover interference; i.e., double recombinants are unexpectedly abundant. We found no major structural changes between Dt and D chromosomes, but confirmed two reciprocal translocations between At chromosomes and several inversions. Concentrations of probes in corresponding regions of the various genomes may represent centromeres, while genome-specific concentrations may represent heterochromatin. Locus duplication patterns reveal all 13 expected homeologous chromosome sets and lend new support to the possibility that a more ancient polyploidization event may have predated the A-D divergence of 6-11 million years ago. Identification of SSRs within 312 RFLP sequences plus direct mapping of 124 SSRs and exploration for CAPS and SNPs illustrate the "portability" of these STS loci across populations and detection systems useful for marker-assisted improvement of the world's leading fiber crop. These data provide new insights into polyploid evolution and represent a foundation for assembly of a finished sequence of the cotton genome.

Fusarium species and Fusarium wilt pathogens associated with native Gossypium populations in Australia.

Fusarium isolates were extracted from stems and rhizosphere soils of 79 populations of four Gossypium species native to two regions of inland Australia in 2001. Six Fusarium species were isolated from 31 (3%) of the 919 stem samples. F. semitectum was predominant, occurring mostly in G. bickii populations and accounting for 81% of the isolates recovered. Twenty Fusarium species were isolated from 68 (87%) of the 78 composite soil samples, with F. solani (71%), F. compactum (8%), F. oxysporum (5%), F. graminearum (3%), and F. crookwellense (3%) being the most prevalent. Significant differences in the relative densities indicated that F. solani was more common in the soil from G. sturtianum populations than from G. bickii populations, and that F. crookwellense was more common in South Australian soils than in Queensland and Northern Territory soils. Fusarium oxysporum had a relatively greater relative density in the rhizosphere soils of G. australe plants than in that of sympatrically growing G. sturtianum plants. Fifteen (17%) of the 89 F. oxrysporum isolates produced typical Fusarium wilt symptoms on cultivated cotton (G. hirsutum cv. 'Siokra 1-4'), therefore they were classified as wild Fov. Soil samples collected from G. sturtianum populations in the Arkaroola-Leigh Creek region in South Australia had the highest incidence of wild Fov (24%). Two wild Fov isolates were similar in virulence to a cotton field Fov isolate in the glasshouse experiments, indicating that they could incite Fusarium wilt disease in cotton fields. The presence of wild Fov in native Gossypium populations suggests that the Fov occurring in Australian cotton fields may be of indigenous origins.

The use of multiple alien chromosome addition aneuploids facilitates genetic linkage mapping of the Gossypium G genome.

Primary germplasm pools represent the most accessible source of new alleles for crop improvement, but not all effective alleles are available in the primary germplasm pool, and breeders must sometimes confront the difficulties of introgressing genes from the secondary and tertiary germplasm pools in cotton by using synthetic polyploids as introgression bridges. Two parental Gossypium nelsonii x Gossypium australe AFLP genetic linkage maps were used to identify G genome chromosome-specific molecular markers, which in turn were used to track the fidelity and frequency of G. australe chromosome transmission in a Gossypium hirsutum x G. australe hexaploid bridging family. Conversely, when homoeologous recombination is low, first generation aneuploids are useful adjuncts to genetic linkage mapping. Although locus ordering was not possible, the distribution of AFLP markers among 18 multiple chromosome addition aneuploids identified mapping errors among the G. australe and G. nelsonii linkage groups and assigned non-segregating G. australe AFLPs to linkage groups. Four putatively recombined G. australe chromosomes were identified in 5 of the 18 aneuploids. The G. australe and G. nelsonii genetic linkage maps presented here represent the first AFLP genetic linkage maps for the Gossypium G genome.

Evolution of the FAD2-1 fatty acid desaturase 5' UTR intron and the molecular systematics of Gossypium (Malvaceae).

The FAD2-1 microsomal omega-6 desaturase gene contains a large intron ( approximately 1133 bp [base pairs]) in the 5' untranslated region that may participate in gene regulation and, in GOSSYPIUM:, is evolving at an evolutionary rate useful for elucidating recently diverged lineages. FAD2-1 is single copy in diploid GOSSYPIUM: species, and two orthologs are present in the allotetraploid species. Among the diploid species, the D-genome FAD2-1 introns have accumulated substitutions 1.4-1.8 times faster than the A-genome introns. In the tetraploids, the difference between the D-subgenome introns and their A-subgenome orthologs is even greater. The substitution rate of the intron in the D-genome diploid G. gossypioides more closely approximates that of the A genome than other D genome species, highlighting its unique evolutionary history. However, phylogenetic analyses support G. raimondii as the closest living relative of the D-subgenome donor. The Australian K-genome species diverged 8-16 million years ago into two clades. One clade comprises the sporadically distributed, erect to suberect coastal species; a second clade comprises the more widely spread, prostrate, inland species. A comparison of published gene trees to the FAD2-1 intron topology suggests that G. bickii arose from an early divergence, but that it carries a G. australe-like rDNA captured via a previously undetected hybridization event.