Phylogenomic and population genomic analyses reveal the spatial-temporal dynamics of diversification of the Nigella arvensis complex (Ranunculaceae) in the Aegean archipelago.

The continental-shelf islands of the Aegean Sea provide an ideal geographical setting for evolutionary-biogeographical studies but disentangling the relationships between palaeogeographical history and the times, orders of modes of taxon divergence is not straightforward. Here, we used phylogenomic and population genomic approaches, based on orthologous gene sequences and transcriptome-derived SNP data, to reconstruct the spatial-temporal evolution of the Aegean Nigella arvensis complex (Ranunculaceae; 11 out of 12 taxa). The group's early diversification in the Early/Mid-Pliocene (c. 3.77 Mya) resulted in three main lineages (Greek mainland vs. central Aegean + Turkish mainland/eastern Aegean islands), while all extant taxa are of Late Plio-/Early Pleistocene origin (c. 3.30-1.59 Mya). Demographic modelling of the outcrossing taxa uncovered disparate modes of (sub)speciation, including divergence with gene flow on the Greek mainland, para- or peripatric diversification across eastern Aegean islands, and a 'mixing-isolation-mixing (MIM)' mode of subspeciation in the Cyclades. The two selfing species (N. stricta, N. doerfleri) evolved independently from the outcrossers. Present-day island configurations are clearly insufficient to explain the spatial-temporal history of lineage diversification and modes of (sub)speciation in Aegean Nigella. Moreover, our identification of positively selected genes in almost all taxa calls into question that this plant group represents a case of 'non-adaptive' radiation. Our study revealed an episodic diversification history of the N. arvensis complex, giving new insight into the modes and drivers of island speciation and adaption across multiple spatiotemporal scales.

Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase and Substrate Identification in Plant Growth and Development.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) form tightly controlled signaling cascades that play essential roles in plant growth, development, and defense response. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying MAPK cascades are still very elusive, largely because of our poor understanding of how they relay the signals. The MAPK cascade is composed of MAPK, MAPKK, and MAPKKK. They transfer signals through the phosphorylation of MAPKKK, MAPKK, and MAPK in turn. MAPKs are organized into a complex network for efficient transmission of specific stimuli. This review summarizes the research progress in recent years on the classification and functions of MAPK cascades under various conditions in plants, especially the research status and general methods available for identifying MAPK substrates, and provides suggestions for future research directions.

Does integument arise de novo or from pre-existing structures? ── Insights from the key regulatory genes controlling integument development.

The origin of seeds is one of the key innovations in land plant evolution. Ovules are the developmental precursors of seeds. The integument is the envelope structure surrounding the nucellus within the ovule and developing into the seed coat when ovules mature upon fertilization. The question of whether the integument arise de novo or evolve from elaboration of pre-existing structures has caused much debate. By exploring the origin and evolution of the key regulatory genes controlling integument development and their functions during both individual and historical developmental processes, we showed the widespread presence of the homologs of ANT, CUC, BEL1, SPL, C3HDZ, INO, ATS, and ETT in seedless plant genomes. All of these genes have undergone duplication-divergence events in their evolutionary history, with most of the descendant paralogous suffering motif gain and/or loss in the coding regions. Expression and functional characterization have shown that these genes are key components of the genetic program that patterns leaf-like lateral organs. Serial homology can thus be postulated between integuments and other lateral organs in terms of the shared master regulatory genes. Given that the genetic program patterning leaf-like lateral organs formed in seedless plants, and was reused during seed origin, the integument is unlikely to arise de novo but evolved from the stem segment-specific modification of pre-existing serially homologous structures. The master 'switches' trigging the modification to specify the integument identity remain unclear. We propose a successive transformation model of integument origin.

The New Is Old: Novel Germination Strategy Evolved From Standing Genetic Variation in Weedy Rice.

Feralization of crop plants has aroused an increasing interest in recent years, not only for the reduced yield and quality of crop production caused by feral plants but also for the rapid evolution of novel traits that facilitate the evolution and persistence of weedy forms. Weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea) is a conspecific weed of cultivated rice, with separate and independent origins. The weedy rice distributed in eastern and northeastern China did not diverge from their cultivated ancestors by reverting to the pre-domestication trait of seed dormancy during feralization. Instead, they developed a temperature-sensing mechanism to control the timing of seed germination. Subsequent divergence in the minimum critical temperature for germination has been detected between northeastern and eastern populations. An integrative analysis was conducted using combinations of phenotypic, genomic and transcriptomic data to investigate the genetic mechanism underlying local adaptation and feralization. A dozen genes were identified, which showed extreme allele frequency differences between eastern and northeastern populations, and high correlations between allele-specific gene expression and feral phenotypes. Trancing the origin of potential adaptive alleles based on genomic sequences revealed the presence of most selected alleles in wild and cultivated rice genomes, indicating that weedy rice drew upon pre-existing, "conditionally neutral" alleles to respond to the feral selection regimes. The cryptic phenotype was exposed by activating formerly silent alleles to facilitate the transition from cultivation to wild existence, promoting the evolution and persistence of weedy forms.

Interspecific Variation in the Unsaturation Level of Seed Oils Were Associated With the Expression Pattern Shifts of Duplicated Desaturase Genes and the Potential Role of Other Regulatory Genes.

Seed oils are of great economic importance both for human consumption and industrial applications. The nutritional quality and industrial value of seed oils are mostly determined by their fatty acid profiles, especially the relative proportions of unsaturated fatty acids. Tree peony seed oils have recently been recognized as novel edible oils enriched in α-linolenic acid (ALA). However, congeneric species, such as Paeonia ostii and P. ludlowii, showed marked variation in the relative proportions of different unsaturated fatty acids. By comparing the dynamics of fatty acid accumulation and the time-course gene expression patterns between P. ostii and P. ludlowii, we identified genes that were differentially expressed between two species in developing seeds, and showed congruent patterns of variation between expression levels and phenotypes. In addition to the well-known desaturase and acyltransferase genes associated with fatty acid desaturation, among them were some genes that were conservatively co-expressed with the desaturation pathway genes across phylogenetically distant ALA-rich species, including Camelina sativa and Perilla frutescens. Go enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in transcriptional regulation, protein post-translational modification and hormone biosynthesis and response, suggesting that the fatty acid synthesis and desaturation pathway might be subject to multiple levels of regulation.