A single gene underlies the dynamic evolution of poplar sex determination
Author(s)
Date Issued
2020
Type
article
Volume
6
Start Page
630
End Page
637
Journal
Abstract
Although hundreds of plant lineages have independently evolved dioecy, i.e. separation of the sexes, the underlying genetic basis remains largely elusive. Here we show that diverse poplar species carry partial duplicates of the ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR 17 (ARR17) ortholog within the male-specific region of the Y chromosome. These duplicates give rise to small RNAs apparently causing male-specific DNA methylation and silencing of the ARR17 gene. Excitingly, CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations demonstrate that ARR17 functions as a sex switch triggering female development when ‘on’ and male development when ‘off’. Despite repeated turnover events, including a transition from the XY to a ZW system, sex-specific regulation of ARR17 is conserved across the poplar genus and likely beyond. Our data reveal how a single-gene-based mechanism of dioecy can enable highly dynamic sex-linked regions and contribute to maintaining sex chromosome recombination and integrity.
Additional information
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https://rdcu.be/b4yt3
https://rdcu.be/b4yt3
Project(s)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants no. MU 4357/1-1 and no. FL 263/15-1
Trees for the Future (T4F)
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grants no. RGPIN-2017-06552 and no. RGPIN-2019-04041