Kim Minsung, Cui Min-Long, Cubas Pilar, Gillies Amanda, Lee Karen, Chapman Mark A, Abbott Richard J, Coen Enrico
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
Science. 2008 Nov 14;322(5904):1116-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1164371.
Hybridization between species can lead to introgression of genes from one species to another, providing a potential mechanism for preserving and recombining key traits during evolution. To determine the molecular basis of such transfers, we analyzed a natural polymorphism for flower-head development in Senecio. We show that the polymorphism arose by introgression of a cluster of regulatory genes, the RAY locus, from the diploid species S. squalidus into the tetraploid S. vulgaris. The RAY genes are expressed in the peripheral regions of the inflorescence meristem, where they promote flower asymmetry and lead to an increase in the rate of outcrossing. Our results highlight how key morphological and ecological traits controlled by regulatory genes may be gained, lost, and regained during evolution.
物种间的杂交可导致基因从一个物种渗入到另一个物种，为进化过程中保存和重组关键性状提供了一种潜在机制。为了确定此类基因转移的分子基础，我们分析了千里光属植物中一个关于头状花序发育的自然多态性。我们发现，这种多态性是由一组调控基因（RAY位点）从二倍体物种肮脏千里光渗入到四倍体物种普通千里光中产生的。RAY基因在花序分生组织的周边区域表达，在那里它们促进花的不对称性并导致异交率增加。我们的结果突出了由调控基因控制的关键形态和生态性状在进化过程中是如何获得、丢失和重新获得的。
