Abstract
Reaumuria soongorica and sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum) belong to the clade of Caryophyllales and are widely distributed in the desert regions of north China. Both plants have evolved many specific traits and adaptation strategies to cope with recurring environmental threats. However, the genetic basis that underpins their unique traits and adaptation remains unknown. In this study, the transcriptome data of R. soongorica and sand rice were compared with three other species with previously sequenced genomes (Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Beta vulgaris). Four different gene sets were identified, namely, the genes conserved in both species, those lost in both species, those conserved in R. soongorica only, and those conserved in sand rice only. Gene ontology showed that post-embryonic development genes (PEDGs) were enriched in all gene sets, and different sets of PEDGs were conserved or lost in both the R. soongorica and sand rice genomes. Expression profiles of Arabidopsis orthologs further provided some clues to the function of the species-specific conserved PEDGs. Such orthologs included LEAFY PETIOLE, which could be a candidate gene involved in the development of branch priority in sand rice.
Highlights
Reaumuria soongorica and sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum) belong to the clade of Caryophyllales and are widely distributed in the arid regions of north China [1,2,3]
Sugar beet is a representative species of the Caryophyllales family, and it has emerged after R. soongorica but before sand rice speciation [3,15]
5,441 genes were conserved and 560 genes were lost in both R. soongorica and sand rice, as compared with the three remaining species (A. thaliana, O. sativa, and B. vulgaris)
Summary
Reaumuria soongorica and sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum) belong to the clade of Caryophyllales and are widely distributed in the arid regions of north China [1,2,3]. R. soongorica (2n = 22; genome size = 778 Mb) is a perennial xeric shrub and a constructive, dominant species populating the zonal landscape in desert ecosystems [1,4,5]. During adaptation to recurring environmental threats and continuing desertification, R. soongorica has evolved many specific traits and physiological changes, such as its extremely thick cuticle, hollow stomata, the presence of a salt gland, and accumulation of some low-molecular-weight metabolites [1,4,6]. Gene Conservation and Loss in Two Desert Plants "One Hundred Talents" Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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