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Transcriptional convergence after repeated duplication of an amino acid transporter gene leads to the independent emergence of the black husk/pericarp trait in barley and rice
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Transcriptional convergence after repeated duplication of an amino acid transporter gene leads to the independent emergence of the black husk/pericarp trait in barley and rice

Bo Li, Yong Jia, Le Xu, Shuo Zhang, Zhoukai Long, Rong Wang, Ying Guo, Wenying Zhang, Chunhai Jiao, Chengdao Li, …
Plant biotechnology journal, Vol.22(5), pp.1282-1298
2023
PMID: 38124464
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Published7.63 MBDownloadView
CC BY V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

barley black husk/pericarp rice convergent evolution melanin Blp
The repeated emergence of the same trait (convergent evolution) in distinct species is an interesting phenomenon and manifests visibly the power of natural selection. The underlying genetic mechanisms have important implications to understand how the genome evolves under environmental challenges. In cereal crops, both rice and barley can develop black-coloured husk/pericarp due to melanin accumulation. However, it is unclear if this trait shares a common origin. Here, we fine-mapped the barley HvBlp gene controlling the black husk/pericarp trait and confirmed its function by gene silencing. The result was further supported by a yellow husk/pericarp mutant with deletion of the HvBlp gene, derived from gamma ray radiation of the wild-type W1. HvBlp encodes a putative tyrosine transporter homologous to the black husk gene OsBh4 in rice. Surprisingly, synteny and phylogenetic analyses showed that HvBlp and OsBh4 belonged to different lineages resulted from dispersed and tandem duplications, respectively, suggesting that the black husk/pericarp trait has emerged independently. The dispersed duplication (dated at 21.23 MYA) yielding HvBlp occurred exclusively in the common ancestor of Triticeae. HvBlp and OsBh4 displayed converged transcription in husk/pericarp tissues, contributing to the black husk/pericarp trait. Further transcriptome and metabolome data identified critical candidate genes and metabolites related to melanin production in barley. Taken together, our study described a compelling case of convergent evolution resulted from transcriptional convergence after repeated gene duplication, providing valuable genetic insights into phenotypic evolution. The identification of the black husk/pericarp genes in barley also has great potential in breeding for stress-resilient varieties with higher nutritional values.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.4 Crop Science
3.4.1969 Anthocyanin Biosynthesis
Web Of Science research areas
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Plant Sciences
ESI research areas
Plant & Animal Science
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