Convergent evolution of plant prickles by repeated gene co-option over deep time

2024/08/01 by James Satterlee, David Alonso, Pietro Gramazio +36 · 1 voice · 7 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Cocoa and Sweet Potato Agronomy #Plant Pathogens and Resistance #Plant Reproductive Biology

paper · doi:10.1126/science.ado1663

openalex publication_date 2024/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

An enduring question in evolutionary biology concerns the degree to which episodes of convergent trait evolution depend on the same genetic programs, particularly over long timescales. In this work, we genetically dissected repeated origins and losses of prickles—sharp epidermal projections—that convergently evolved in numerous plant lineages. Mutations in a cytokinin hormone biosynthetic gene caused at least 16 independent losses of prickles in eggplants and wild relatives in the genus Solanum . Homologs underlie prickle formation across angiosperms that collectively diverged more than 150 million years ago, including rice and roses. By developing new Solanum genetic systems, we leveraged this discovery to eliminate prickles in a wild species and an indigenously foraged berry. Our findings implicate a shared hormone activation genetic program underlying evolutionarily widespread and recurrent instances of plant morphological innovation.

Citations

• THE LOCI OF REPEATED EVOLUTION: A CATALOG OF GENETIC HOTSPOTS OF PHENOTYPIC VARIATION
• GenomeScope 2.0 and Smudgeplot for reference-free profiling of polyploid genomes
• Major Impacts of Widespread Structural Variation on Gene Expression and Crop Improvement in Tomato
• Haplotype-resolved de novo assembly with phased assembly graphs
• Merqury: reference-free quality, completeness, and phasing assessment for genome assemblies
• BUSCO: Assessing Genomic Data Quality and Beyond
• Divergence time shapes gene reuse during repeated adaptation
• MAFFT Multiple Sequence Alignment Software Version 7: Improvements in Performance and Usability

Cited by

• The dynamic evolution of panarthropod germ cell specification mechanisms
• Graph-based pangenomes and pan-phenome provide a cornerstone for eggplant biology and breeding
• A revision of the endemic Brazilian Solanum hexandrum group (Leptostemonum, Solanum, Solanaceae)
• Association analyses reveal both anthropic and environmental selective events during eggplant domestication
• Divergent Evolutionary Routes of Hypoxia Tolerance in Mangroves
• A neofunctionalized flowering antagonist created an evolutionary contingency that channeled Solanaceae adaptation
• Tandem Repeats Provide Evidence for Convergent Evolution to Similar Protein Structures

Discussions

• Convergent evolution of mutations in LOG cytokinin synthesis genes leads to loss of prickles across flowering plants. Paper: doi.org/10.1126/science.ado1663 Perspective: doi.org/10.1126/science.adr247 [bsky, 4 points, 1 comments]

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