Hybridization Drives Trait Integration in Telomere-To-Telomere Apocynum Genomes.

ABSTRACT: Hybridization drives plant adaptation, yet its genomic mechanisms in non-model perennials remain elusive. Apocynum species thrive in extreme saline-alkaline environments. This study establishes A. pictum (APZ) as a homoploid hybrid of A. venetum (AVX) and A. hendersonii (AHG), exemplifying hybrid-driven resilience. Leveraging telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genome assemblies of AVX, APZ, and AHG, we confirmed APZ's hybrid origin ~0.95 million years ago (Mya), following species divergence ~2.08 Mya, with AHG plastid inheritance. Nuclear and plastid analyses resolve taxonomic disputes among three Apocynum species. APZ exhibits large heterozygous inversions on chromosomes 3 and 8 with suppressed recombination, preserving AHG stress-tolerance haplotypes. The study also showed that allele-specific e

SUBMITTER: Xu P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12576458 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature