Comparative transcriptomics reveals patterns of selection in domesticated and wild tomato.

ABSTRACT: Although applied over extremely short timescales, artificial selection has dramatically altered the form, physiology, and life history of cultivated plants. We have used RNAseq to define both gene sequence and expression divergence between cultivated tomato and five related wild species. Based on sequence differences, we detect footprints of positive selection in over 50 genes. We also document thousands of shifts in gene-expression level, many of which resulted from changes in selection pressure. These rapidly evolving genes are commonly associated with environmental response and stress tolerance. The importance of environmental inputs during evolution of gene expression is further highlighted by large-scale alteration of the light response coexpression network between wild and cultivated

SUBMITTER: Koenig D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3710864 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature