Phylotranscriptomics reveals the phylogeny of Asparagales and the evolution of allium flavor biosynthesis
Asparagales, the largest monocot order, is renowned for its ecological, economic, and medicinal significance. Here, we leverage transcriptome data from 455 Asparagales species to explore the phylogeny of Asparagales. Moreover, we investigate the evolutionary patterns of the genes involved in allium flavor formation. We not only establish a robust bifurcating phylogeny of Asparagales but also explore their reticulate relationships. Notably, we find that eight genes involved in the biosynthesis of allium flavor compounds underwent expansion in Allium species. Furthermore, we observe Allium-specific mutations in one amino acid within alliinase and three within lachrymatory factor synthase. Overall, our findings highlight the role of gene expansion, increased expression, and amino acid mutations in driving the evolution of Allium-specific compounds. These insights not only deepen our understanding of the phylogeny of Asparagales but also illuminate the genetic mechanisms underpinning specialized compounds.
Authors
- Xiao-Xiao Wang
- Xinya Hemu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1979-5854)
- Ying Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2469-5604)
- Diego F. Morales‐Briones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1535-5739)
- Xiaomei Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6744-6707)
- Ning‐Hua Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3731-1000)
- Kunhua Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6145-4511)
- Na Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7566-3245)
- Qingfeng Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9143-8849)
- Ling‐Yun Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-6831)
- Puguang Zhao
- Chien-Hsun Huang
- Xiangyu Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8110-0297)
Institutions
- China Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Guangdong Pharmaceutical University (CN)
- Fudan University (CN)
- Inner Mongolia University (CN)
- State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China (CN)
- Guangxi Medicinal Botanical Garden (CN)
- Wuhan Botanical Garden (CN)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-11-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53943-6
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Phytochemical Studies and Bioactivities
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.57
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- China Pharmaceutical University
- Fudan University
- Nanchang University
- Hubei University
- Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences
- University of Texas at El Paso
- Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Guangxi Innovation-Driven Development Project
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences