Convergent evolution of gene regulatory networks underlying plant adaptations to dry environments

Abstract

Plants transitioned from an aquatic to a terrestrial lifestyle during their evolution. On land, fluctuations on water availability in the environment became one of the major problems they encountered. The appearance of morpho‐physiological adaptations to cope with and tolerate water loss from the cells was undeniably useful to survive on dry land. Some of these adaptations, such as carbon concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), desiccation tolerance (DT) and root impermeabilization, appeared in multiple plant lineages. Despite being crucial for evolution on land, it has been unclear how these adaptations convergently evolved in the various plant lineages. Recent advances on whole genome and transcriptome sequencing are revealing that co‐option of genes and gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is a common feature underlying the convergent evolution of these adaptations. In this review, we address how the study of CCMs and DT has provided insight into convergent evolution of GRNs underlying plant adaptation to dry environments, and how these insights could be applied to currently emerging understanding of evolution of root impermeabilization through different barrier cell types. We discuss examples of co‐option, conservation and innovation of genes and GRNs at the cell, tissue and organ levels revealed by recent phylogenomic (comparative genomic) and comparative transcriptomic studies.

Comparative Genetic Analysis of Durum Wheat Landraces and Cultivars Widespread in Tunisia

“…Starch genes were also recognized to be involved in convergent selection in crop species such as rice, wheat, maize, foxtail millet, barley, sorghum, and maize millet (Li et al, 2012 ). Finally, LEA genes associated with cold tolerance have undergone a convergent selection between barley and wheat (Artur and Kajala, 2021 ). The study of causal loci underlying important traits such as domestication and adaptation through the comparative analyses of cereals and their wild relatives will play an important role in clarifying the timing of selection and identifying useful alleles to enhance and assist modern breeding.…”

Processes and mechanisms of coastal woody‐plant mortality

“…For example, the presence of an exodermis within the roots is a critical adaptation because it reduces the loss of root oxygen to hypoxic soils and reduces the flux of salts into the roots (Enstone et al, 2002; Hose et al, 2001). The root exodermis is absent in all gymnosperms and common in angiosperms tolerant of drought, waterlogging and salinity (Artur & Kajala, 2021). This suggests that increasing water elevations from water level rise, storm surges, and high precipitation events in both saline and freshwater systems should have a disproportionate impact on glycophytic species without the adaptations to hypoxia and salinity, for example gymnosperms and many angiosperms.…”

“…For example, the presence of an exodermis within the roots is a critical adaptation because it reduces the loss of root oxygen to hypoxic soils and reduces the flux of salts into the roots (Enstone et al, 2002;Hose et al, 2001). The root exodermis is absent in all gymnosperms and common in angiosperms tolerant of drought, waterlogging and salinity (Artur & Kajala, 2021).…”

The Key Enzymes in the Suberin Biosynthetic Pathway in Plants: An Update

“…In addition to the aforementioned comprehensive reviews of the macromolecular structure of the suberin polymer, several recent reviews have outlined various aspects of the suberin pathway in plants. These include the possible cellular export and trafficking mechanisms of suberin [20,21], the establishment of the suberin pathway during plant evolution [2,22], the roles played by the suberin polymer in plant responses against abiotic and biotic stresses [23][24][25] and the importance of suberin in the production of bioderived energy and materials [26].…”