Insights into the evo-devo of plant reproduction using next-generation sequencing approaches

Abstract

The development of plant model organisms has traditionally been analyzed using resource-heavy, tailored applications that are not easily transferable to distantly related non-model taxa. Thus, our understanding of plant development has been limited to a subset of traits, and evolutionary studies conducted most effectively either across very wide [e.g. Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice)] or narrow (i.e. population level) phylogenetic distances. As plant biologists seek to capitalize on natural diversity for crop improvement, enhance ecosystem functioning, and better understand plant responses to climate change, high-throughput and broadly applicable forms of existing molecular biology assays are becoming an invaluable resource. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly becoming a powerful tool in evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) studies, particularly through its application to understanding trait evolution at different levels of gene regulation. Here, I review some of the most common and emerging NGS-based methods, using exemplar studies in reproductive plant evo-devo to illustrate their potential.

Multi‐omics‐driven advances in the understanding of triacylglycerol biosynthesis in oil seeds

“…Particularly, as the significant reduction of cost, NGS technologies are widely used for genome re‐sequencing in crops (Le Nguyen et al., 2019; Preston, 2021). For example, a nearly‐saturated EMS maize mutant library was constructed, and the mutations were re‐sequenced by combining exome capture and NGS (Lu et al., 2018).…”

Flowering Newsletter 2022

“…The knowledge the community has generated and continues to generate on traditional model plants is extremely useful to decipher gene regulatory circuits and developmental processes in other species, because gene functions are often at least partially conserved. Next-generation sequencing and CRISPR have massively facilitated this process ( Preston, 2020 ), and now enable detailed insights into flower development and evolution, as exemplified also by articles in the Flowering Newsletter issue.…”