Genomic signatures of the evolution of defence against its natural enemies in the poisonous and medicinal plant Datura stramonium (Solanaceae)

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 882 - 19
• Main Authors: De-la-Cruz, I. M., Hallab, A., Olivares-Pinto, U., Tapia-López, R., Velázquez-Márquez, S., Piñero, D., Oyama, K., Usadel, B., Núñez-Farfán, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 13.01.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114; 631/181; 631/208; 631/449; 631/449/2669; Alcohol Oxidoreductases - metabolism; Alkaloids; Alkaloids - metabolism; Biological Evolution; Biosynthesis; Chemical defense; Datura stramonium; Datura stramonium - genetics; Datura stramonium - metabolism; Dioxygenase; Divergence; Drought; Environment; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Evolutionary genetics; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genomes; Genomic analysis; Genomics; Genomics - methods; Herbivores; Humanities and Social Sciences; Medicinal plants; Methyltransferase; multidisciplinary; N-Methyltransferase; Natural enemies; Plant Defense Against Herbivory - genetics; Positive selection; Putrescine; Putrescine N-methyltransferase; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Solanaceae; Solanaceae - genetics; Solanaceae - metabolism; Tropane alkaloids; Tropanes - metabolism; Tropinone reductase; Whole Genome Sequencing
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79194-1

Tropane alkaloids and terpenoids are widely used in the medicine and pharmaceutic industry and evolved as chemical defenses against herbivores and pathogens in the annual herb Datura stramonium (Solanaceae). Here, we present the first draft genomes of two plants from contrasting environments of D. stramonium . Using these de novo assemblies, along with other previously published genomes from 11 Solanaceae species, we carried out comparative genomic analyses to provide insights on the genome evolution of D. stramonium within the Solanaceae family, and to elucidate adaptive genomic signatures to biotic and abiotic stresses in this plant. We also studied, in detail, the evolution of four genes of D. stramonium —Putrescine N -methyltransferase, Tropinone reductase I, Tropinone reductase II and Hyoscyamine-6S-dioxygenase—involved in the tropane alkaloid biosynthesis. Our analyses revealed that the genomes of D. stramonium show signatures of expansion, physicochemical divergence and/or positive selection on proteins related to the production of tropane alkaloids, terpenoids, and glycoalkaloids as well as on R defensive genes and other important proteins related with biotic and abiotic pressures such as defense against natural enemies and drought.