TY - JOUR

T1 - The Boechera genus as a resource for apomixis research

AU - Brukhin, Vladimir

AU - Osadtchiy, Jaroslaw V.

AU - Florez-Rueda, Ana Marcela

AU - Smetanin, Dmitry

AU - Bakin, Evgeny

AU - Nobre, Margarida Sofia

AU - Grossniklaus, Ueli

PY - 2019/4/2

Y1 - 2019/4/2

N2 - The genera Boechera (A. Löve et D. Löve) and Arabidopsis, the latter containing the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, belong to the same clade within the Brassicaceae family. Boechera is the only among the more than 370 genera in the Brassicaceae where apomixis is well documented. Apomixis refers to the asexual reproduction through seed, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms has great potential for applications in agriculture. The Boechera genus currently includes 110 species (of which 38 are reported to be triploid and thus apomictic), which are distributed mostly in the North America. The apomictic lineages of Boechera occur at both the diploid and triploid level and show signs of a hybridogenic origin, resulting in a modification of their chromosome structure, as reflected by alloploidy, aneuploidy, substitutions of homeologous chromosomes, and the presence of aberrant chromosomes. In this review, we discuss the advantages of the Boechera genus to study apomixis, consider its modes of reproduction as well as the inheritance and possible mechanisms controlling apomixis. We also consider population genetic aspects and a possible role of hybridization at the origin of apomixis in Boechera. The molecular tools available to study Boechera, such as transformation techniques, laser capture microdissection, analysis of transcriptomes etc. are also discussed. We survey available genome assemblies of Boechera spp. and point out the challenges to assemble the highly heterozygous genomes of apomictic species. Due to these challenges, we argue for the application of an alternative reference-free method for the comparative analysis of such genomes, provide an overview of genomic sequencing data in the genus Boechera suitable for such analysis, and provide examples of its application.

AB - The genera Boechera (A. Löve et D. Löve) and Arabidopsis, the latter containing the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, belong to the same clade within the Brassicaceae family. Boechera is the only among the more than 370 genera in the Brassicaceae where apomixis is well documented. Apomixis refers to the asexual reproduction through seed, and a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms has great potential for applications in agriculture. The Boechera genus currently includes 110 species (of which 38 are reported to be triploid and thus apomictic), which are distributed mostly in the North America. The apomictic lineages of Boechera occur at both the diploid and triploid level and show signs of a hybridogenic origin, resulting in a modification of their chromosome structure, as reflected by alloploidy, aneuploidy, substitutions of homeologous chromosomes, and the presence of aberrant chromosomes. In this review, we discuss the advantages of the Boechera genus to study apomixis, consider its modes of reproduction as well as the inheritance and possible mechanisms controlling apomixis. We also consider population genetic aspects and a possible role of hybridization at the origin of apomixis in Boechera. The molecular tools available to study Boechera, such as transformation techniques, laser capture microdissection, analysis of transcriptomes etc. are also discussed. We survey available genome assemblies of Boechera spp. and point out the challenges to assemble the highly heterozygous genomes of apomictic species. Due to these challenges, we argue for the application of an alternative reference-free method for the comparative analysis of such genomes, provide an overview of genomic sequencing data in the genus Boechera suitable for such analysis, and provide examples of its application.

KW - Apomeiosis

KW - Apomixis

KW - Boechera

KW - Diplospory

KW - Genome assembly

KW - Genomics

KW - Heterozygosity

KW - Pseudogamy

KW - apomixis

KW - SEXUAL OVULES

KW - ARABIS-HOLBOELLII

KW - GENETIC-CONTROL

KW - AGROBACTERIUM-MEDIATED TRANSFORMATION

KW - NOMENCLATURAL NOTES

KW - genomics

KW - pseudogamy

KW - APOMICTIC BOECHERA

KW - genome assembly

KW - heterozygosity

KW - diplospory

KW - BREEDING SYSTEMS

KW - GAMETE FORMATION

KW - POPULATION-STRUCTURE

KW - EVOLUTIONARY ADVANTAGE

KW - apomeiosis

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064201398&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/boechera-genus-resource-apomixis-research

U2 - 10.3389/fpls.2019.00392

DO - 10.3389/fpls.2019.00392

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85064201398

VL - 10

JO - Frontiers in Plant Science

JF - Frontiers in Plant Science

SN - 1664-462X

M1 - 392

ER -