The Physcomitrella genome reveals evolutionary insights into the conquest of land by plants.
We report the draft genome sequence of the model moss Physcomitrella patens and compare its features with those of flowering plants, from which it is separated by more than 400 million years, and unicellular aquatic algae. This comparison reveals genomic changes concomitant with the evolutionary movement to land, including a general increase in gene family complexity; loss of genes associated with aquatic environments (e.g., flagellar arms); acquisition of genes for tolerating terrestrial stresses (e.g., variation in temperature and water availability); and the development of the auxin and abscisic acid signaling pathways for coordinating multicellular growth and dehydration response. The Physcomitrella genome provides a resource for phylogenetic inferences about gene function and for experimental analysis of plant processes through this plant's unique facility for reverse genetics.
Rensing
Stefan A
SA
Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.
Lang
Daniel
D
Zimmer
Andreas D
AD
Terry
Astrid
A
Salamov
Asaf
A
Shapiro
Harris
H
Nishiyama
Tomoaki
T
Perroud
Pierre-François
PF
Lindquist
Erika A
EA
Kamisugi
Yasuko
Y
Tanahashi
Takako
T
Sakakibara
Keiko
K
Fujita
Tomomichi
T
Oishi
Kazuko
K
Shin-I
Tadasu
T
Kuroki
Yoko
Y
Toyoda
Atsushi
A
Suzuki
Yutaka
Y
Hashimoto
Shin-Ichi
S
Yamaguchi
Kazuo
K
Sugano
Sumio
S
Kohara
Yuji
Y
Fujiyama
Asao
A
Anterola
Aldwin
A
Aoki
Setsuyuki
S
Ashton
Neil
N
Barbazuk
W Brad
WB
Barker
Elizabeth
E
Bennetzen
Jeffrey L
JL
Blankenship
Robert
R
Cho
Sung Hyun
SH
Dutcher
Susan K
SK
Estelle
Mark
M
Fawcett
Jeffrey A
JA
Gundlach
Heidrun
H
Hanada
Kousuke
K
Heyl
Alexander
A
Hicks
Karen A
KA
Hughes
Jon
J
Lohr
Martin
M
Mayer
Klaus
K
Melkozernov
Alexander
A
Murata
Takashi
T
Nelson
David R
DR
Pils
Birgit
B
Prigge
Michael
M
Reiss
Bernd
B
Renner
Tanya
T
Rombauts
Stephane
S
Rushton
Paul J
PJ
Sanderfoot
Anton
A
Schween
Gabriele
G
Shiu
Shin-Han
SH
Stueber
Kurt
K
Theodoulou
Frederica L
FL
Tu
Hank
H
Van de Peer
Yves
Y
Verrier
Paul J
PJ
Waters
Elizabeth
E
Wood
Andrew
A
Yang
Lixing
L
Cove
David
D
Cuming
Andrew C
AC
Hasebe
Mitsuyasu
M
Lucas
Susan
S
Mishler
Brent D
BD
Reski
Ralf
R
Grigoriev
Igor V
IV
Quatrano
Ralph S
RS
Boore
Jeffrey L
JL
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D019068:Bryopsida / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D019295:Computational Biology; D004260:DNA Repair; D003681:Dehydration; D020440:Gene Duplication; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics; D005810:Multigene Family; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D018626:Retroelements; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
D010940:Plant Proteins; D018626:Retroelements