title: The Cardamine hirsuta genome offers insight into the evolution of morphological diversity.
abstract: Finding causal relationships between genotypic and phenotypic variation is a key focus of evolutionary biology, human genetics and plant breeding. To identify genome-wide patterns underlying trait diversity, we assembled a high-quality reference genome of Cardamine hirsuta, a close relative of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. We combined comparative genome and transcriptome analyses with the experimental tools available in C. hirsuta to investigate gene function and phenotypic diversification. Our findings highlight the prevalent role of transcription factors and tandem gene duplications in morphological evolution. We identified a specific role for the transcriptional regulators PLETHORA5/7 in shaping leaf diversity and link tandem gene duplication with differential gene expression in the explosive seed pod of C. hirsuta. Our work highlights the value of comparative approaches in genetically tractable species to understand the genetic basis for evolutionary change.
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Xiangchao
authors: X
authors: Gan
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Hay
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Michiel
authors: M
authors: Kwantes
authors: Plant Genome and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Georg
authors: G
authors: Haberer
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Asis
authors: A
authors: Hallab
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Raffaele Dello
authors: RD
authors: Ioio
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Hugo
authors: H
authors: Hofhuis
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Bjorn
authors: B
authors: Pieper
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Cartolano
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Ulla
authors: U
authors: Neumann
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Lachezar A
authors: LA
authors: Nikolov
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Baoxing
authors: B
authors: Song
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Mohsen
authors: M
authors: Hajheidari
authors: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Roman
authors: 0000-0002-6831-3914
authors: R
authors: Briskine
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
authors: Evangelia
authors: E
authors: Kougioumoutzi
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Vlad
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
authors: Suvi
authors: S
authors: Broholm
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK.
authors: Jotun
authors: J
authors: Hein
authors: Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA.
authors: Khalid
authors: K
authors: Meksem
authors: Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, USA.
authors: David
authors: 0000-0002-5725-4381
authors: D
authors: Lightfoot
authors: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Kentaro K
authors: KK
authors: Shimizu
authors: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: Rie
authors: R
authors: Shimizu-Inatsugi
authors: Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, 1 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3TG, UK.
authors: Martha
authors: M
authors: Imprialou
authors: Arizona Genomics Institute, School of Plant Sciences and BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, University of Arizona, 1657 East Helen Street, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Kudrna
authors: Arizona Genomics Institute, School of Plant Sciences and BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Research, University of Arizona, 1657 East Helen Street, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
authors: Rod
authors: R
authors: Wing
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
authors: Shusei
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Huijser
authors: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK.
authors: Dmitry
authors: D
authors: Filatov
authors: Plant Genome and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Klaus F X
authors: KF
authors: Mayer
authors: UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors: Richard
authors: 0000-0002-1022-9330
authors: R
authors: Mott
authors: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829 Köln, Germany.
authors: Miltos
authors: M
authors: Tsiantis
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D031217:Cardamine / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors