6/ One neat example:
Gains of HSF/GARP motifs at an alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene were associated with cold adaptation across the family.

Not universal (happening in maybe ~25% of temperate adaptation events), but recurrent. Possible role in protein misfolding response under low temperature?

5/ To hunt for adaptive changes, we used phylogenetic mixed models to link motif gains/losses to ecological transitions (e.g., temperature, moisture).

At 810 motif-orthogroup pairs, we saw repeated, niche-associated gains or losses.

Many small-effect, polygenic changes.

3/ But individual motif instances across the genome turn over rapidly!

In 15k promoters across 727 taxa, about half of motif instances were conserved across distant grasses — but most were lost within the first 5 million years of divergence.

2/ First: is there a conserved “regulatory code” across grasses?

Comparing motifs enriched in unmethylated regions across five species, we found 73% of motifs were commonly enriched.

TF binding preferences seem pretty stable across ~80 million years of evolution.

If you're a graduate student working on crop wild relatives, consider applying to give a talk at our grad student-led symposium at Cornell April 11, 2025!

More info and application form here: lnkd.in/gZuwbq4s

Important: This is what DALL-E thinks I'd look like as a prairie grass