Large-scale gene losses underlie the genome evolution of parasitic plant Cuscuta australis

Guiling Sun, Yuxing Xu, Hui Liu, Ting Sun, Jingxiong Zhang, Christian Hettenhausen, Guojing Shen, Jinfeng Qi, Yan Qin, Jing Li, Lei Wang, Wei Chang, Zhenhua Guo, Ian T. Baldwin and Jianqiang Wu ()
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Guiling Sun: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuxing Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hui Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ting Sun: Henan University
Jingxiong Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Christian Hettenhausen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guojing Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jinfeng Qi: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yan Qin: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jing Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lei Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wei Chang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhenhua Guo: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ian T. Baldwin: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Jianqiang Wu: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Dodders (Cuscuta spp., Convolvulaceae) are root- and leafless parasitic plants. The physiology, ecology, and evolution of these obligate parasites are poorly understood. A high-quality reference genome of Cuscuta australis was assembled. Our analyses reveal that Cuscuta experienced accelerated molecular evolution, and Cuscuta and the convolvulaceous morning glory (Ipomoea) shared a common whole-genome triplication event before their divergence. C. australis genome harbors 19,671 protein-coding genes, and importantly, 11.7% of the conserved orthologs in autotrophic plants are lost in C. australis. Many of these gene loss events likely result from its parasitic lifestyle and the massive changes of its body plan. Moreover, comparison of the gene expression patterns in Cuscuta prehaustoria/haustoria and various tissues of closely related autotrophic plants suggests that Cuscuta haustorium formation requires mostly genes normally involved in root development. The C. australis genome provides important resources for studying the evolution of parasitism, regressive evolution, and evo-devo in plant parasites.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04721-8

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