Characterization of phosphorylation variants for identifying adaptive alleles in <i>Zea</i>

Large-scale genome sequencing of maize wild species (teosinte) has uncovered thousands of genetic mutations, but distinguishing causal alleles from neutral variations remains a significant challenge. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of phosphorylation-associated single-nucleotide variations (pSNVs) to enhance our understanding of adaptive variations in the Zea genus. We collected 234 teosinte genomes from seven different taxa and 507 cultivated maize genomes to identify single-nucleotide variants that target phosphorylation machinery, which is crucial for plant development and environmental adaptation. Our analysis identified 33 687 pSNVs within the Zea genus and revealed a reduction in genetic conservation along with an increase in protein abundance and expression for genes harboring pSNVs. Additionally, pSNVs present stronger purifying selection pressures compared with other missense mutations. We found that maize possesses fewer pSNVs than teosinte, likely due to the effects of selection and hitchhiking. By examining the role of pSNVs related to kinase-substrate rewriting events and exhibiting evolutionary divergence jointly, our results suggest that pSNVs impact multiple traits, particularly flowering time variation between teosinte and maize. Furthermore, we documented the widespread presence of pSNVs in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and wheat, identifying 46 pSNVs that have convergently evolved between maize and other species. Our study provides another insight into uncovering adaptive alleles in wild species by incorporating protein signaling sites and emphasizes the potential of utilizing wild species for future crop improvement.