title: MYB-FL controls gain and loss of floral UV absorbance, a key trait affecting pollinator preference and reproductive isolation.
abstract: Adaptations to new pollinators involve multiple floral traits, each requiring coordinated changes in multiple genes. Despite this genetic complexity, shifts in pollination syndromes have happened frequently during angiosperm evolution. Here we study the genetic basis of floral UV absorbance, a key trait for attracting nocturnal pollinators. In Petunia, mutations in a single gene, MYB-FL, explain two transitions in UV absorbance. A gain of UV absorbance in the transition from bee to moth pollination was determined by a cis-regulatory mutation, whereas a frameshift mutation caused subsequent loss of UV absorbance during the transition from moth to hummingbird pollination. The functional differences in MYB-FL provide insight into the process of speciation and clarify phylogenetic relationships between nascent species.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hester
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sheehan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Klahre
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Korinna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Esfeld
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dell'Olivo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mandel
authors.affiliation: Cologne Biocenter, Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, Mass Spectrometry Platform, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.affiliation: UMR 5667, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, INRA, UCBL, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Michiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vandenbussche
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Evolution, Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Loreta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kuhlemeier
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018744:DNA, Plant; D035264:Flowers / Q000528:radiation effects*; D018402:Manduca / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D032306:Petunia / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D054817:Pollination; D012098:Reproduction; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant