J 2024

Centromere drive may propel the evolution of chromosome and genome size in plants

PLAČKOVÁ, Klára; Petr BUREŠ; Martin LYSÁK and František ZEDEK

Basic information

Original name

Centromere drive may propel the evolution of chromosome and genome size in plants

Authors

PLAČKOVÁ, Klára; Petr BUREŠ; Martin LYSÁK and František ZEDEK

Edition

Annals of Botany, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2024, 0305-7364

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Country of publisher

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

Marked to be transferred to RIV

Yes

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14310/24:00137354

Organization

Přírodovědecká fakulta – Repository – Repository

EID Scopus

Keywords in English

Angiosperms; asymmetric and symmetric meiosis; bryophytes; CENH3; centromere drive; chromosome size; ferns; genome size; gymnosperms; lycophytes; post-polyploid diploidization

Links

EH22_008/0004581, research and development project. GA20-15989S, research and development project. MUNI/A/0977/2009, interní kód Repo.
Changed: 17/4/2025 00:49, RNDr. Daniel Jakubík

Abstract

In the original language

Background: Genome size is influenced by natural selection and genetic drift acting on variations from polyploidy and repetitive DNA sequences. We hypothesized that centromere drive, where centromeres compete for inclusion in the functional gamete during meiosis, may also affect genome and chromosome size. This competition occurs in asymmetric meiosis, where only one of the four meiotic products becomes a gamete. If centromere drive influences chromosome size evolution, it may also impact post-polyploid diploidization, where a polyploid genome is restructured to function more like a diploid through chromosomal rearrangements, including fusions. We tested if plant lineages with asymmetric meiosis exhibit faster chromosome size evolution compared to those with only symmetric meiosis, which lack centromere drive as all four meiotic products become gametes. We also examined if positive selection on centromeric histone H3 (CENH3), a protein that can suppress centromere drive, is more frequent in these asymmetric lineages. Methods: We analysed plant groups with different meiotic modes: asymmetric in gymnosperms and angiosperms, and symmetric in bryophytes, lycophytes and ferns. We selected species based on available CENH3 gene sequences and chromosome size data. Using Ornstein-Uhlenbeck evolutionary models and phylogenetic regressions, we assessed the rates of chromosome size evolution and the frequency of positive selection on CENH3 in these clades. Results: Our analyses showed that clades with asymmetric meiosis have a higher frequency of positive selection on CENH3 and increased rates of chromosome size evolution compared to symmetric clades. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that centromere drive accelerates chromosome and genome size evolution, potentially also influencing the process of post-polyploid diploidization. We propose a model which in a single framework helps explain the stability of chromosome size in symmetric lineages (bryophytes, lycophytes and ferns) and its variability in asymmetric lineages (gymnosperms and angiosperms), providing a foundation for future research in plant genome evolution.

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