A De Novo Gene Promotes Seed Germination Under Drought Stress in Arabidopsis

Overview

Journal Mol Biol Evol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Biology

Date 2024 Dec 24

PMID 39719058

Authors

Guang-Teng Jin

Yong-Chao Xu

Xing-Hui Hou

Juan Jiang

Xin-Xin Li

Jia-Hui Xiao

Yu-Tao Bian

Yan-Bo Gong

Ming-Yu Wang

Zhi-Qin Zhang

Yong E Zhang

Wang-Sheng Zhu

Yong-Xiu Liu

Ya-Long Guo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The origin of genes from noncoding sequences is a long-term and fundamental biological question. However, how de novo genes originate and integrate into the existing pathways to regulate phenotypic variations is largely unknown. Here, we selected 7 genes from 782 de novo genes for functional exploration based on transcriptional and translational evidence. Subsequently, we revealed that Sun Wu-Kong (SWK), a de novo gene that originated from a noncoding sequence in Arabidopsis thaliana, plays a role in seed germination under osmotic stress. SWK is primarily expressed in dry seed, imbibing seed and silique. SWK can be fully translated into an 8 kDa protein, which is mainly located in the nucleus. Intriguingly, SWK was integrated into an extant pathway of hydrogen peroxide content (folate synthesis pathway) via the upstream gene cytHPPK/DHPS, an Arabidopsis-specific gene that originated from the duplication of mitHPPK/DHPS, and downstream gene GSTF9, to improve seed germination in osmotic stress. In addition, we demonstrated that the presence of SWK may be associated with drought tolerance in natural populations of Arabidopsis. Overall, our study highlights how a de novo gene originated and integrated into the existing pathways to regulate stress adaptation.

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