Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) is a pernicious weed in agricultural fields worldwide. The molecular mechanisms underlying its success in the absence of human intervention are presently unknown. Here we report a draft genome sequence of the hexaploid species E. crus-galli, i.e., a 1.27 Gb assembly representing 90.7% of the predicted genome size. An extremely large repertoire of genes encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and glutathione S-transferases associated with detoxification are found. Two gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of an allelochemical 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) and a phytoalexin momilactone A are found in the E. crus-galli genome, respectively. The allelochemical DIMBOA gene cluster is activated in response to co-cultivation with rice, while the phytoalexin momilactone A gene cluster specifically to infection by pathogenic Pyricularia oryzae. Our results provide a new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the extreme adaptation of the weed.
The domestication of cultivated barley has been used as a model system for studying the origins and early spread of agrarian culture. Our previous results indicated that the Tibetan Plateau and its vicinity is one of the centers of domestication of cultivated barley. Here we reveal multiple origins of domesticated barley using transcriptome profiling of cultivated and wild-barley genotypes. Approximately 48-Gb of clean transcript sequences in 12 Hordeum spontaneum and 9 Hordeum vulgare accessions were generated. We reported 12,530 de novo assembled transcripts in all of the 21 samples. Population structure analysis showed that Tibetan hulless barley (qingke) might have existed in the early stage of domestication. Based on the large number of unique genomic regions showing the similarity between cultivated and wildbarley groups, we propose that the genomic origin of modern cultivated barley is derived from wild-barley genotypes in the Fertile Crescent (mainly in chromosomes 1H, 2H, and 3H) and Tibet (mainly in chromosomes 4H, 5H, 6H, and 7H). This study indicates that the domestication of barley may have occurred over time in geographically distinct regions.evolution | genetic diversity | genomic similarity | RNA-Seq | single nucleotide variants
In this report we define the genes of two-component regulatory systems in rice through a comprehensive computational analysis of rice (Oryza sativa L.) genome sequence databases. Thirty-seven genes were identified, including 5 HKs (cytokinin-response histidine protein kinase) (OsHK1-4, OsHKL1), 5 HPs (histidine phosphotransfer proteins) (OsHP1-5), 15 type-A RRs (response regulators) (OsRR1-15), 7 type B RR genes (OsRR16-22), and 5 predicted pseudo-response regulators (OsPRR1-5). Protein motif organization, gene structure, phylogenetic analysis, chromosomal location, and comparative analysis between rice, maize, and Arabidopsis are described. Full-length cDNA clones of each gene were isolated from rice. Heterologous expression of each of the OsHKs in yeast mutants conferred histidine kinase function in a cytokinin-dependent manner. Nonconserved regions of individual cDNAs were used as probes in expression profiling experiments. This work provides a foundation for future functional dissection of the rice cytokinin two-component signaling pathway.
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