Abstract
By definition, the domestication process leads to an overall reduction of crop genetic diversity. This lead to the current search of genomic regions in wild crop relatives (CWR), an important task for modern carrot breeding. Nowadays massive sequencing possibilities can allow for discovery of novel genetic resources in wild populations, but this quest could be aided by the use of a surrogate gene (to first identify and prioritize novel wild populations for increased sequencing effort). Alternative oxidase (AOX) gene family seems to be linked to all kinds of abiotic and biotic stress reactions in various organisms and thus have the potential to be used in the identification of CWR hotspots of environment-adapted diversity. High variability of DcAOX1 was found in populations of wild carrot sampled across a West-European environmental gradient. Even though no direct relation was found with the analyzed climatic conditions or with physical distance, population differentiation exists and results mainly from the polymorphisms associated with DcAOX1 exon 1 and intron 1. The relatively high number of amino acid changes and the identification of several unusually variable positions (through a likelihood ratio test), suggests that DcAOX1 gene might be under positive selection. However, if positive selection is considered, it only acts on some specific populations (i.e. is in the form of adaptive differences in different population locations) given the observed high genetic diversity. We were able to identify two populations with higher levels of differentiation which are promising as hot spots of specific functional diversity.
Highlights
Crop plants typically include only a portion of the genetic diversity of their wild relatives
In this study we look into the variability of DcAOX1 in populations of carrot crop wild relatives (CWRs) in Europe, subjected to different climatic stress and putatively adapted to different environments
The reconstructed phylogeny based on the analyzed DcAOX1 gene fragment does not seem to identify any clear clade that could directly be linked to the population origin
Summary
Crop plants typically include only a portion of the genetic diversity of their wild relatives. Since genetic variation is the raw material of evolution, low genetic diversity has as direct consequence a reduction on the ability of the species to evolve in response to changes in its environment. If until recently we have perceived plant breeding as overall reducing crop genetic diversity, recent assessments have shown spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity losses Breeding objectives have changed across time, from just yield. DcAOX1 Variability in W-Europe and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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