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. 2019 Oct;224(2):961-973.
doi: 10.1111/nph.15977. Epub 2019 Jul 11.

Re-acquisition of the brittle rachis trait via a transposon insertion in domestication gene Q during wheat de-domestication

Yun-Feng Jiang  1   2 , Qing Chen  2 , Yan Wang  2 , Zhen-Ru Guo  2 , Bin-Jie Xu  2 , Jing Zhu  2 , Ya-Zhou Zhang  2 , Xi Gong  2 , Cui-Hua Luo  2 , Wang Wu  2 , Cai-Hong Liu  2 , Li Kong  2 , Mei Deng  2 , Qian-Tao Jiang  2 , Xiu-Jin Lan  2 , Ji-Rui Wang  2 , Guo-Yue Chen  2 , You-Liang Zheng  2 , Yu-Ming Wei  2 , Peng-Fei Qi  1   2
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Free article

Re-acquisition of the brittle rachis trait via a transposon insertion in domestication gene Q during wheat de-domestication

Yun-Feng Jiang et al. New Phytol. 2019 Oct.
Free article

Abstract

De-domestication is a unique evolutionary process during which crops re-acquire wild-like traits to survive and persist in agricultural fields without the need for human cultivation. The re-acquisition of seed dispersal mechanisms is crucial for crop de-domestication. Common wheat is an important cereal crop worldwide. Tibetan semi-wild wheat is a potential de-domesticated common wheat subspecies. However, the crucial genes responsible for its brittle rachis trait have not been identified. Genetic mapping, functional analyses and phylogenetic analyses were completed to identify the gene associated with Qbr.sau-5A, which is a major locus for the brittle rachis trait of Tibetan semi-wild wheat. The cloned Qbr.sau-5A gene is a new Q allele (Qt ) with a 161-bp transposon insertion in exon 5. Although Qt is expressed normally, its encoded peptide lacks some key features of the APETALA2 family. The abnormal functions of Qt in developing wheat spikes result in brittle rachises. Phylogenetic and genotyping analyses confirmed that Qt originated from Q in common wheat and is naturally distributed only in Tibetan semi-wild wheat populations. The identification of Qt provides new evidence regarding the origin of Tibetan semi-wild wheat, and new insights into the re-acquisition of wild traits during crop de-domestication.

Keywords: Q gene; de-domestication; seed shattering; transposon; weed; wheat evolution.

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