Phylogenetically diverse wild plant species use common biochemical strategies to thrive in the Atacama Desert

Dussarrat, Thomas; Nilo-Poyanco, Ricardo; Moyano, Tomás C.; Prigent, Sylvain; Jeffers, Tim L.; Díaz, Francisca P.; Decros, Guillaume; Audi, Lauren; Sondervan, Veronica M.; Shen, Bingran; Araus, Viviana; Rolin, Dominique; Shasha, Dennis; Coruzzi, Gloria M.; Gibon, Yves; Latorre, Claudio; Pétriacq, Pierre; Gutiérrez, Rodrigo A.

doi:10.1093/jxb/erae117

Title: Phylogenetically diverse wild plant species use common biochemical strategies to thrive in the Atacama Desert

Journal Article · 13 March 2024 · Journal of Experimental Botany

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae117 · OSTI ID:2480610

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Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Univ. Bordeaux, Villenave d’Ornon (France)
Universidad Mayor, Santiago (Chile)
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago (Chile)
Univ. Bordeaux, Villenave d’Ornon (France); MetaboHUB, PHENOME-EMPHASIS, Villenave d’Ornon (France)
New York University (NYU), NY (United States)
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Santiago (Chile); ANID Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation and ANID Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago (Chile); Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile)
Univ. Bordeaux, Villenave d’Ornon (France)
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Santiago (Chile); Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago (Chile)
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago (Chile); Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Santiago (Chile)

The best ideotypes are under mounting pressure due to increased aridity. Understanding the conserved molecular mechanisms that evolve in wild plants adapted to harsh environments is crucial in developing new strategies for agriculture. Yet our knowledge of such mechanisms in wild species is scant. We performed metabolic pathway reconstruction using transcriptome information from 32 Atacama and phylogenetically related species that do not live in Atacama (sister species). We analyzed reaction enrichment to understand the commonalities and differences of Atacama plants. To gain insights into the mechanisms that ensure survival, we compared expressed gene isoform numbers and gene expression patterns between the annotated biochemical reactions from 32 Atacama and sister species. We found biochemical convergences characterized by reactions enriched in at least 50% of the Atacama species, pointing to potential advantages against drought and nitrogen starvation, for instance. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the adaptation in the Atacama Desert may result in part from shared genetic legacies governing the expression of key metabolic pathways to face harsh conditions. Enriched reactions corresponded to ubiquitous compounds common to extreme and agronomic species and were congruent with our previous metabolomic analyses. Convergent adaptive traits offer promising candidates for improving abiotic stress resilience in crop species.

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Research Organization:: New York University (NYU), NY (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0014377

OSTI ID:: 2480610

Journal Information:: Journal of Experimental Botany, Journal Name: Journal of Experimental Botany Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 75; ISSN 0022-0957

Publisher:: Oxford University PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
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convergent mechanisms
enrichment analysis
extreme ecosystems
metabolism
multi-species
plants

Title: Phylogenetically diverse wild plant species use common biochemical strategies to thrive in the Atacama Desert

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