Genetics: Orchid origin story illuminated by genome sequencing
Nature
September 14, 2017
The genome sequence of the orchid Apostasia shenzhenica is reported online in Nature this week. A. shenzhenica is a self-pollinating orchid species found in southeast China, and the findings provide new insights into the origins and evolution of the diverse and widespread orchid family.
Orchids represent about 10% of flowering plant species, encompass wide diversity in their morphology and lifestyle, and have successfully colonized almost every habitat on Earth. The Apostasia genus, along with one other genus, diverged early and forms a sister lineage to the rest of the orchid family. Zhong-Jian Liu, Yves Van de Peer and colleagues report the whole genome sequence of one of its members, A. shenzhenica. They also present transcriptome data (the set of RNA molecules that control the expression of an organism’s genes) for orchids from three other subfamilies, and new high-quality genome data for two species from a further subfamily.
The authors find that A. shenzhenica shows clear evidence of a whole-genome duplication, which is shared by all orchids and occurred shortly before their divergence. Comparisons with other orchids and flowering plants enable the authors to reconstruct an ancestral orchid ‘gene toolkit’, which sheds light on the genetic mechanisms that underlie key orchid innovations. These include the development of the labellum (a ‘lip’ on the flower that attracts insects) and the reproductive structure known as the gynostemium, as well as the evolution of epiphytism (the ability to grow on another plant).
doi: 10.1038/nature23897
Research highlights
-
Jun 29
COVID-19: Assessing instances of long COVID in UK health dataNature Communications
-
Jun 24
Palaeontology: It sucked to be the prey of ancient cephalopodsScientific Reports
-
Jun 24
Sport science: New wearable sensor to measure neck strain may detect potential concussionScientific Reports
-
Jun 23
Scientific community: Women credited less than men in scientific paper authorshipNature
-
Jun 17
Health technology: New cost-effective smartphone test for middle ear functionCommunications Medicine
-
Jun 17
Conservation: Feral cats pushing critically endangered marsupial further towards extinctionScientific Reports