Abstract Detail

Botany 2015 Colloquium: Phylogenomics and the 1000 plants (1KP) initiative 

dePamphilis, Claude D. [1], Wafula, Eric [2], Zhang, Yeting [2], Der, Joshua [3], Mirarab, Siavash [4], Ayyampalayam, Raj [5], Villegente, Matthieu [6], Wulff, Adrien [6], Fogliani, Bruno [6], Gateble, Gildas [7], Munzinger, Jerome [7], Westwood, Jim [8], Warnow, Tandy [9], Wong, Gane Ka-Shu [10], Leebens-Mack, James H. [11].

Parasitic and mycotrophic plants as foci for horizontal gene transfer: evidence from 1kp transcriptome data.

Parasitic and mycotrophic plants have intimate structural connections with host plants and/or mycorrhizal fungi. Along with their often extreme adaptations to a heterotrophic lifestyle, their close biotic associations provide opportunities for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The 1KP database includes transcriptome data from taxa representing at least 7 independent origins of parasitism and two mycoheterotrophic lineages: Orobanchaceae, Lennoaceae, Apodanthaceae, Santalales (Olacaceae, Viscaceae, Loranthaceae, Santalaceae, and Balanophoraceae) Krameriaceae, Cuscuta, Cassytha, Ericaceae and Parasitaxus. We are applying blast-based and phylogenetic approaches to identify both candidate and high confidence transcribed HGT sequences from 1kp transcriptome datasets. With analyses still ongoing, the results to date suggest that there have been many HGT events from host-plant lineages to parasitic lineages. Many examples that look at first analysis like HGT are likely due to other factors stemming from host contamination, mobile RNA transfer from living hosts, and a variety of potential artifacts, including extreme rate heterogeneity in some lineages. Although parasitic plants may be special focal points for HGT events in plants, functionally significant HGTs are not restricted to parasite lineages. High confidence assessment of HGT events from 1kp transcriptome datasets is challenging, but helps to reveal an underappreciated but important source of genetic variation in plants.

Related Links:
Claude dePamphilis
OneKP

1 - Pennsylvania State University, Department Of Biology, 101 Life Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
2 - Penn State University, Biology, University Park, PA, USA
3 - California State University, Fullerton, Biology, Fullerton, CA, USA
4 - University of Texas, Computer Science, Austin, TX, USA
5 - University of Georgia , Plant Biology, Athens, GA, USA
6 - Agronomique néo-Calédonien (IAC), Païta, New Caledonia
7 - Agronomique néo-Calédonien (IAC), Mont-Dore, New Caledonia
8 - Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
9 - University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana, Urbana, IL, USA
10 - University of Alberta, Biological Sciences; Medicine (Gastroenterology), CW405 Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
11 - University of Georgia, 2505 Miller Plant Sciences, Plant Biology, Athens, GA, 30602, United States

Keywords:
phylogenomics
horizontal gene transfer
parasitic plants.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C1
Location: Salon 4/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 11:30 AM
Number: C1015
Abstract ID:1370
Candidate for Awards:None