The interplay between the chromatin landscape and plant domestication remains unclear. Here, the authors report the genome assembly and chromatin landscape map of amaranth and reveal the association b...

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Seeds should not germinate in conditions unsuitable for seedling growth. Dormancy, which allows seeds to remain inactive in an environment that would otherwise enable germination, helps optimise the ....

Background Classical genetic concepts to explain heterosis attribute the superiority of F1-hybrids over their homozygous parents to the complementation of unfavorable by beneficial alleles (dominance) or to heterozygote advantage (overdominance). Here we analyze 112 intermated B73xMo17 recombinant inbred lines of maize and their backcrosses to their original parents B73 and Mo17 to obtain hybrids with an average heterozygosity of ~ 50%. This genetic architecture allows studying the influence of homozygous and heterozygous genomic regions on gene expression in hybrids. Results We demonstrate that single parent expression (SPE) complementation explains between − 8% and 29% of the mid-parent heterotic variance in these hybrids. In this expression pattern, consistent with dominance, genes are active in only one parent and in the hybrid, thus increasing the number of expressed genes in hybrids. Furthermore, we establish that eQTL regulating SPE genes are predominantly located in heterozygous regions of the genome. Finally, we identify an SPE gene that regulates lateral root density in hybrids. Remarkably, the activity of this gene depends on the presence of a Mo17 allele in an eQTL that regulates this gene. Conclusions Here we show that dominance of SPE genes influences the number of active genes in hybrids, while heterozygosity is instrumental for the regulation of these genes. This finding supports the notion that the genetic constitution of distant regulatory elements is instrumental for the activity of heterosis-associated genes. In summary, our results connect genetic variation at regulatory loci and the degree of heterozygosity with phenotypic variation of heterosis via SPE complementation.

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The action of natural selection across heterogeneous natural landscapes drives local adaptation and the formation of plant ecotypes, the precursors to new species. Plant ecotypes typically differ sig...

Strigolactones are ecologically, developmentally, and physiologically important hormones, but much remains unknown about their evolution and role in non-model species. Sorghum is an important C4 cerea...

Abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, cold, salinity and flooding significantly impact plant growth, development and productivity. As the planet has warmed, these abiotic stresses have increased in ...