Anthoceros genomes illuminate the origin of land plants and the unique biology of hornworts

Fay-Wei Li (1, 2) , Tomoaki Nishiyama (3) , Manuel Waller (4) , Eftychios Frangedakis (5) , Jean Keller (6) , Zheng Li (7) , Noe Fernandez-Pozo (8) , Michael Barker (7) , Tom Bennett (9) , Miguel Blázquez (10) , Shifeng Cheng (11) , Andrew Cuming (9) , Jan de Vries (12) , Sophie de Vries (13) , Pierre-Marc Delaux (14) , Issa Diop (4) , C. Jill Harrison (15) , Duncan Hauser (1) , Jorge Hernández-García (10) , Alexander Kirbis (4) , John Meeks (16) , Isabel Monte (4) , Sumanth Mutte (17) , Anna Neubauer (4) , Dietmar Quandt (18) , Tanner Robison (1, 2) , Masaki Shimamura (19) , Stefan Rensing (8, 20) , Juan Carlos Villarreal (21, 22) , Dolf Weijers (17) , Susann Wicke (23) , Gane K.-S. Wong (24, 25) , Keiko Sakakibara (26) , Péter Szövényi (4, 27)

1 Boyce Thompson Institute [Ithaca]
2 Cornell University [New York]
3 KU - Kanazawa University
4 UZH - Universität Zürich [Zürich] = University of Zurich
5 CAM - University of Cambridge [UK]
6 LRSV - Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Végétales
7 University of Arizona
8 Philipps Universität Marburg = Philipps University of Marburg
9 University of Leeds
10 UPV - Universitat Politècnica de València = Universitad Politecnica de Valencia = Polytechnic University of Valencia
11 CAAS - Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
12 Georg-August-University = Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
13 Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf = Heinrich Heine University [Düsseldorf]
14 Evolution des Interactions Plantes-Microorganismes
15 University of Bristol [Bristol]
16 UC Davis - University of California [Davis]
17 WUR - Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen]
18 Universität Bonn = University of Bonn
19 Hiroshima University
20 University of Freiburg [Freiburg]
21 ULaval - Université Laval [Québec]
22 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
23 WWU - Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster = University of Münster
24 University of Alberta
25 BGI - Beijing Genomics Institute [Shenzhen]
26 Rikkyo University [Tokyo]
27 Zurich Basel Plant Science Center

Hornworts are a bryophyte lineage that diverged from other extant land plants >400 million years ago and bear unique biological features, including a distinct sporophyte architecture, cyanobacterial symbiosis, and carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM). Here we provide three high-quality genomes of Anthoceros hornworts. The Anthoceros genomes lack repeat-dense centromeres as well as whole genome duplication, and contain a limited transcription factor repertoire. Several genes involved in angiosperm meristem and stomata function are conserved in Anthoceros and up-regulated during sporophyte development, suggesting possible homologies at the genetic level. We identified candidate genes involved in cyanobacterial symbiosis, and found that LCIB , a Chlamydomonas CCM gene, is present in hornworts but absent in other plant lineages, implying a possible conserved role in CCM function. We anticipate these hornwort genomes will serve as essential references for future hornwort research and comparative studies across land plants.

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Fay-Wei Li, Tomoaki Nishiyama, Manuel Waller, Eftychios Frangedakis, Jean Keller, et al.. Anthoceros genomes illuminate the origin of land plants and the unique biology of hornworts. Nature Plants, 2020, 6 (3), pp.259-272. ⟨10.1038/s41477-020-0618-2⟩. ⟨hal-02891578⟩