Jia Jizeng, Deng Pingchuan, Li Tianbao, Wang Kai, Gao Lifeng, Zhao Guangyao, Cui Dangqun, Dong Zhongdong, Li Chengdao, Zhan Kehui, Ji Wanquan, Ru Zhengang, Wang Daowen, Wu Liang
College of Agronomy, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, Henan Agricultural University, Longzi Lake Campus, Zhengzhou, China; The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Resources, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
Plant Commun. 2025 Jun 9;6(6):101341. doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101341. Epub 2025 Apr 16.
Polyploidization is a fundamental evolutionary process in plants, including bread wheat. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of dynamic homoeologous gene divergence in Aikang58 (AK58), a modern elite polyploid wheat cultivar with a recently released reference genome, and in other wheat genomes, including landraces, synthetic wheat, and several breeding lines. Over 40% of transposable element (TE) families exhibit biased distribution across the three wheat subgenomes. Approximately 95.0% (113 421) of genes are co-located with TEs, and these variable TEs significantly contribute to homoeologous divergence. We found that about 80% of triad homoeologs are divergent due to differences in expression or sub-functionalization. In addition, subgenome divergence potentially promote polyploid wheat domestication and improvement by increasing favorable homoeoallele combinations. Our findings suggest that homoeolog divergence contributes to the adaptation, domestication, and improvement of hexaploid wheat. The contribution of subgenomic divergence to polyploid heterosis is also discussed. This study provides a valuable resource for the investigation of how TEs drive homoeologous divergence during wheat domestication and improvement.
多倍体化是包括普通小麦在内的植物中的一个基本进化过程。在本研究中，我们对爱康58（AK58）以及其他小麦基因组（包括地方品种、人工合成小麦和几个育种系）中动态同源基因分化进行了全面的全基因组分析，AK58是一个具有最近发布的参考基因组的现代优良多倍体小麦品种。超过40%的转座元件（TE）家族在三个小麦亚基因组中呈现出偏向性分布。大约95.0%（113421个）的基因与转座元件共定位，并且这些可变转座元件显著促进了同源分化。我们发现，由于表达差异或亚功能化，约80%的三联体同源基因存在分化。此外，亚基因组分化可能通过增加有利的同源等位基因组合来促进多倍体小麦的驯化和改良。我们的研究结果表明，同源基因分化有助于六倍体小麦的适应、驯化和改良。同时也讨论了亚基因组分化对多倍体杂种优势的贡献。本研究为探究转座元件如何在小麦驯化和改良过程中驱动同源基因分化提供了有价值的资源。
