植物专用代谢物的自然变异代表了植物对其环境的进化适应。然而,导致代谢途径多样化的分子机制尚未完全阐明.水稻植物通过积累二萜类植物抗毒素来抵抗病原体的攻击。已经证实,水稻植物抗毒素的组成表现出许多自然变化。在大多数品种中积累了主要的水稻植物抗毒素(莫米拉内酯和植物卡萨烷),尽管oryzalactone是一种品种特异性化合物。这里,我们试图通过分析水稻物种中的oryzalactone生物合成基因来揭示植物抗毒素多样化的进化轨迹。候选基因,KSLX-OL,考虑到oryzalactone的生物合成,在11号染色体长臂中的oryzalactone积累品种特有的单核苷酸多态性周围发现。过表达KSLX-OL的烟草和水稻植物中的代谢物分析表明,KSLX-OL负责oryzalactone的生物合成。KSLX-OL是KSL8的等位基因,参与另一种二萜植物抗毒素的生物合成,oryzalexinS并特异性分布在AA基因组物种中。KSLX-NOL和KSLX-bar,它们编码相似的酶,但不参与oryzalactone的生物合成,在AA基因组物种中也发现了。KSLX的系统发育分析,KSL8s,和相关的假基因(KSL9s)表明KSLX-OL是通过基因复制从KSL8和KSL9的共同祖先产生的,功能分化,和基因融合。KSLX-OL和KSL8在AA基因组物种中的广泛分布证明了它们在物种分化之外的长期共存。建议在基因之间进行平衡选择。
The natural variation of plant-specialized metabolites represents the evolutionary adaptation of plants to their environments. However, the molecular mechanisms that account for the diversification of the metabolic pathways have not been fully clarified. Rice plants resist attacks from pathogens by accumulating
diterpenoid phytoalexins. It has been confirmed that the composition of rice phytoalexins exhibits numerous natural variations. Major rice phytoalexins (momilactones and phytocassanes) are accumulated in most cultivars, although oryzalactone is a cultivar-specific compound. Here, we attempted to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of the diversification of phytoalexins by analyzing the oryzalactone biosynthetic gene in Oryza species. The candidate gene, KSLX-OL, which accounts for oryzalactone biosynthesis, was found around the single-nucleotide polymorphisms specific to the oryzalactone-accumulating cultivars in the long arm of chromosome 11. The metabolite analyses in Nicotiana benthamiana and rice plants overexpressing KSLX-OL indicated that KSLX-OL is responsible for the oryzalactone biosynthesis. KSLX-OL is an allele of KSL8 that is involved in the biosynthesis of another
diterpenoid phytoalexin, oryzalexin S and is specifically distributed in the AA genome species. KSLX-NOL and KSLX-bar, which encode similar enzymes but are not involved in oryzalactone biosynthesis, were also found in AA genome species. The phylogenetic analyses of KSLXs, KSL8s, and related pseudogenes (KSL9s) indicated that KSLX-OL was generated from a common ancestor with KSL8 and KSL9 via gene duplication, functional differentiation, and gene fusion. The wide distributions of KSLX-OL and KSL8 in AA genome species demonstrate their long-term coexistence beyond species differentiation, suggesting a balancing selection between the genes.