Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

The blackgrass genome reveals patterns of divergent evolution of non-target site resistance to herbicides

View ORCID ProfileLichun Cai, View ORCID ProfileDavid Comont, View ORCID ProfileDana MacGregor, View ORCID ProfileClaudia Lowe, View ORCID ProfileRoland Beffa, Christopher Saski, View ORCID ProfilePaul Neve
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.14.472569
Lichun Cai
1Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Lichun Cai
David Comont
2Department of Biointeractions & Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for David Comont
Dana MacGregor
2Department of Biointeractions & Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Dana MacGregor
Claudia Lowe
2Department of Biointeractions & Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Claudia Lowe
Roland Beffa
3Bayer Crop Sciences, Industriepark Höchst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Roland Beffa
  • For correspondence: pbneve@plen.ku.dk saski@clemson.edu roland.beffa@t-online.de
Christopher Saski
1Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: pbneve@plen.ku.dk saski@clemson.edu roland.beffa@t-online.de
Paul Neve
2Department of Biointeractions & Crop Protection, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, United Kingdom
4Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Højbakkegård Allé 13, Tåstrup 2630, Denmark
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Paul Neve
  • For correspondence: pbneve@plen.ku.dk saski@clemson.edu roland.beffa@t-online.de
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Supplementary material
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Summary

Globally, weedy plants result in more crop yield loss than plant pathogens and insect pests combined. Much of the success of weeds rests with their ability to rapidly adapt in the face of human-mediated environmental management and change. The evolution of resistance to herbicides is an emblematic example of this rapid adaptation. Here, we focus on Alopecurus myosuroides (blackgrass), the most impactful agricultural weed in Europe. To gain insights into the evolutionary history and genomic mechanisms underlying adaptation in blackgrass, we assembled and annotated its large, complex genome. We show that non-target site herbicide resistance is oligogenic and likely evolves from standing genetic variation. We present evidence for divergent selection of resistance at the level of the genome in wild, evolved populations, though at the transcriptional level, resistance mechanisms are underpinned by similar patterns of up-regulation of stress- and defence-responsive gene families. These gene families are expanded in the blackgrass genome, suggesting that the large, duplicated, and dynamic genome plays a role in enabling rapid adaptation in blackgrass. These observations have wide significance for understanding rapid plant adaptation in novel stressful environments.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted December 15, 2021.
Download PDF

Supplementary Material

Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The blackgrass genome reveals patterns of divergent evolution of non-target site resistance to herbicides
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Share
The blackgrass genome reveals patterns of divergent evolution of non-target site resistance to herbicides
Lichun Cai, David Comont, Dana MacGregor, Claudia Lowe, Roland Beffa, Christopher Saski, Paul Neve
bioRxiv 2021.12.14.472569; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.14.472569
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo LinkedIn logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
The blackgrass genome reveals patterns of divergent evolution of non-target site resistance to herbicides
Lichun Cai, David Comont, Dana MacGregor, Claudia Lowe, Roland Beffa, Christopher Saski, Paul Neve
bioRxiv 2021.12.14.472569; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.14.472569

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Genomics
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (4113)
  • Biochemistry (8815)
  • Bioengineering (6518)
  • Bioinformatics (23460)
  • Biophysics (11789)
  • Cancer Biology (9207)
  • Cell Biology (13322)
  • Clinical Trials (138)
  • Developmental Biology (7436)
  • Ecology (11409)
  • Epidemiology (2066)
  • Evolutionary Biology (15150)
  • Genetics (10436)
  • Genomics (14043)
  • Immunology (9171)
  • Microbiology (22153)
  • Molecular Biology (8812)
  • Neuroscience (47567)
  • Paleontology (350)
  • Pathology (1428)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (2491)
  • Physiology (3730)
  • Plant Biology (8079)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (1437)
  • Synthetic Biology (2221)
  • Systems Biology (6037)
  • Zoology (1253)