Tandem oleosin genes in a cluster acquired in Brassicaceae created tapetosomes and conferred additive benefit of pollen vigor.

ABSTRACT: During evolution, genomes expanded via whole-genome, segmental, tandem, and individual-gene duplications, and the emerged redundant paralogs would be eliminated or retained owing to selective neutrality or adaptive benefit and further functional divergence. Here we show that tandem paralogs can contribute adaptive quantitative benefit and thus have been retained in a lineage-specific manner. In Brassicaceae, a tandem oleosin gene cluster of five to nine paralogs encodes ample tapetum-specific oleosins located in abundant organelles called tapetosomes in flower anthers. Tapetosomes coordinate the storage of lipids and flavonoids and their transport to the adjacent maturing pollen as the coat to serve various functions. Transfer-DNA and siRNA mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana with knockout and

SUBMITTER: Huang CY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3761573 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature