Algal ancestor of land plants was preadapted for symbiosis.

ABSTRACT: Colonization of land by plants was a major transition on Earth, but the developmental and genetic innovations required for this transition remain unknown. Physiological studies and the fossil record strongly suggest that the ability of the first land plants to form symbiotic associations with beneficial fungi was one of these critical innovations. In angiosperms, genes required for the perception and transduction of diffusible fungal signals for root colonization and for nutrient exchange have been characterized. However, the origin of these genes and their potential correlation with land colonization remain elusive. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of 259 transcriptomes and 10 green algal and basal land plant genomes, coupled with the characterization of the evolutionary path leading

SUBMITTER: Delaux PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4629359 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature