Divergent evolution of duplicate genes leads to genetic incompatibilities within A. thaliana.
Genetic incompatibilities resulting from interactions between two loci represent a potential source of postzygotic barriers and may be an important factor in evolution when they impair the outcome of interspecific crosses. We show that, in crosses between strains of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, loci interact epistatically, controlling a recessive embryo lethality. This interaction is explained by divergent evolution occurring among paralogs of an essential duplicate gene, for which the functional copy is not located at the same locus in different accessions. These paralogs demonstrate genetic heterogeneity in their respective evolutionary trajectories, which results in widespread incompatibility among strains. Our data suggest that these passive mechanisms, gene duplication and extinction, could represent an important source of genetic incompatibilities across all taxa.
Bikard
David
D
Genetics and Plant Breeding, INRA, SGAP UR254, F-78026 Versailles, France.
Patel
Dhaval
D
Le Metté
Claire
C
Giorgi
Veronica
V
Camilleri
Christine
C
Bennett
Malcolm J
MJ
Loudet
Olivier
O
D000483:Alleles; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D032461:Chromosomes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D015870:Gene Expression; D020131:Genes, Duplicate; D017343:Genes, Plant; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D000637:Transaminases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D006639:Histidine; D000637:Transaminases; C053430:histidinol-phosphate aminotransferase