Low-frequency somatic mutations are heritable in tropical trees Dicorynia guianensis and Sextonia rubra
Résumé
Somatic mutations potentially play a role in plant evolution, but common expectations pertaining to plant somatic mutations remain insufficiently tested. Unlike in most animals, the plant germline is assumed to be set aside late in development, leading to the expectation that plants accumulate somatic mutations along growth. Therefore, several predictions were made on the fate of somatic mutations: mutations have generally low frequency in plant tissues; mutations at high frequency have a higher chance of intergenerational transmission; branching topology of the tree dictates mutation distribution; and exposure to UV (ultraviolet) radiation increases mutagenesis. To provide insights into mutation accumulation and transmission in plants, we produced two high-quality reference genomes and a unique dataset of 60 high-coverage whole-genome sequences of two tropical tree species, Dicorynia guianensis (Fabaceae) and Sextonia rubra (Lauraceae). We identified 15,066 de novo somatic mutations in D. guianensis and 3,208 in S. rubra, surprisingly almost all found at low frequency. We demonstrate that 1) low-frequency mutations can be transmitted to the next generation; 2) mutation phylogenies deviate from the branching topology of the tree; and 3) mutation rates and mutation spectra are not demonstrably affected by differences in UV exposure. Altogether, our results suggest far more complex links between plant growth, aging, UV exposure, and mutation rates than commonly thought.
Auteurs, date et publication :
Auteurs Sylvain Schmitt , Patrick Heuret , Valérie Troispoux , Mélanie Beraud , Jocelyn Cazal , Émilie Chancerel , Charlotte Cravero , Erwan Guichoux , Olivier Lepais , João Loureiro , William Marande , Olivier Martin-Ducup , Gregoire Vincent , Jérôme Chave , Christophe Plomion , Thibault Leroy , Myriam Heuertz , Niklas Tysklind
Publication : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Date : 2024
Pages : e2313312121