Biology subjects

Mosquna, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Mosquna, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Homologous ABA-independent kinase tracks coalesced into osmotic stress circuits during plant terrestrialization

Land plants possess a unique system for responding to environmental stressors. How this system evolved during plant terrestrialization remains one of the major questions in plant evolutionary biology. To retrace this process, it is essential to study both land plants and their closest algal relatives, the zygnematophytes. Using the single-celled zygnematophyte Mesotaenium, we integrated physiological stress experiments with phosphoproteomics, genome-wide transcription factor binding analyses, and protein-protein interaction studies to investigate the architecture of a key stress response pathway: the signaling cascade homologous to the plant abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated pathway. Our results highlight the roles of histidine kinases (HKs) and calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) in osmotic stress signaling. Focusing on SnRK2 and ABF, key components at the downstream end of the canonical ABA signaling pathway, we provide evidence that ABF plays a central role in osmotic stress responses even in the absence of ABA. Together, our data reveal the coordinated action of parallel functional modules that were likely integrated into the ABA response cascade during plant terrestrialization.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Chromosome-level genomes of multicellular algal sisters to land plants illuminate signaling network evolution

The filamentous and unicellular algae of the class Zygnematophyceae are the closest algal relatives of land plants. Inferring the properties of the last common ancestor shared by these algae and land plants allows us to identify decisive traits that enabled the conquest of land by plants. We sequenced four genomes of filamentous Zygnematophyceae (three strains of Zygnema circumcarinatum and one strain of Z. cylindricum) and generated chromosome-scale assemblies for all strains of the emerging model system Z. circumcarinatum. Comparative genomic analyses reveal expanded genes for signaling cascades, environmental response, and intracellular trafficking that we associate with multicellularity. Gene family analyses suggest that Zygnematophyceae share all the major enzymes with land plants for cell wall polysaccharide synthesis, degradation, and modifications; most of the enzymes for cell wall innovations, especially for polysaccharide backbone synthesis, were gained more than 700 million years ago. In Zygnematophyceae, these enzyme families expanded, forming co-expressed modules. Transcriptomic profiling of over 19 growth conditions combined with co-expression network analyses uncover cohorts of genes that unite environmental signaling with multicellular developmental programs. Our data shed light on a molecular chassis that balances environmental response and growth modulation across more than 600 million years of streptophyte evolution. HIGHLIGHTSO_LIGenomes of four filamentous algae (Zygnema) sisters to land plants C_LIO_LIZygnema are rich in genes for multicellular growth and environmental acclimation: signaling, lipid modification, and transport C_LIO_LICell wall innovations: diversification of hexameric rosette cellulose synthase in Zygnematophyceae C_LIO_LICo-expression networks reveal conserved modules for balancing growth and acclimation C_LI

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

GNI-A1 mediates trade-off between grain number and grain weight in tetraploid wheat

Grain yield is a highly polygenic trait determined by the number of grains per unit area, as well as by grain weight. In wheat, grain number and grain weight are usually negatively correlated. Yet, the genetic basis underlying trade-off between the two is mostly unknown. Here, we fine-mapped a grain weight QTL using wild emmer introgressions in a durum wheat background, and showed that grain weight is associated with the GNI-A1 gene, a regulator of floret fertility. In-depth characterization of grain number and grain weight indicated that suppression of distal florets by the wild emmer GNI-A1 allele increase weight of proximal grains in basal and central spikelets due to alteration in assimilate distribution. Re-sequencing of GNI-A1 in tetraploid wheat demonstrated the rich allelic repertoire of the wild emmer gene pool, including a rare allele which was present in two gene copies and contained a non-synonymous mutation in the C-terminus of the protein. Using an F2 population generated from a cross between wild emmer accessions Zavitan, which carries the rare allele, and TTD140, we demonstrated that this unique polymorphism is associated with grain weight, independent of grain number. Moreover, we showed, for the first time, that GNI-A1 proteins are transcriptional activators and that selection in domesticated wheat targeted compromised activity of the protein. Our finding expand the knowledge of the genetic basis underlying trade-off between key yield components and may contribute to breeding efforts for enhanced grain yield.

plant biology↗