2023/01/19 by Boas Pucker, Massimo Iorizzo · 2 voices · 4 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant Gene Expression Analysis #Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis #Plant Molecular Biology Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280155
openalex publication_date 2023/01/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/13
BACKGROUND: Flavonoids are specialized metabolites with numerous biological functions in stress response and reproduction of plants. Flavones are one subgroup that is produced by the flavone synthase (FNS). Two distinct enzyme families evolved that can catalyze the biosynthesis of flavones. While the membrane-bound FNS II is widely distributed in seed plants, one lineage of soluble FNS I appeared to be unique to Apiaceae species. RESULTS: We show through phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses that Apiaceae FNS I evolved through tandem gene duplication of flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) followed by neofunctionalization. Currently available datasets suggest that this event happened within the Apiaceae in a common ancestor of Daucus carota and Apium graveolens. The results also support previous findings that FNS I in the Apiaceae evolved independent of FNS I in other plant species. CONCLUSION: We validated a long standing hypothesis about the evolution of Apiaceae FNS I and predicted the phylogenetic position of this event. Our results explain how an Apiaceae-specific FNS I lineage evolved and confirm independence from other FNS I lineages reported in non-Apiaceae species.