Yesterday's polyploids and the mystery of diploidization.

Thirty years after Susumu Ohno proposed that vertebrate genomes are degenerate polyploids, the extent to which genome duplication contributed to the evolution of the vertebrate genome, if at all, is still uncertain. Sequence-level studies on model organisms whose genomes show clearer evidence of ancient polyploidy are invaluable because they indicate what the evolutionary products of genome duplication can look like. The greatest mystery is the molecular basis of diploidization, the evolutionary process by which a polyploid genome turns into a diploid one.

Wolfe KH 《NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS》

Rarely successful polyploids and their legacy in plant genomes.

Polyploidy, or whole genome duplication, is recognized as an important feature of eukaryotic genome evolution. Among eukaryotes, polyploidy has probably had the largest evolutionary impact on vascular plants where many contemporary species are of recent polyploid origin. Genomic analyses have uncovered evidence of at least one round of polyploidy in the ancestry of most plants, fueling speculation that genome duplications lead to increases in net diversity. In spite of the frequency of ancient polyploidy, recent analyses have found that recently formed polyploid species have higher extinction rates than their diploid relatives. These results suggest that despite leaving a substantial legacy in plant genomes, only rare polyploids survive over the long term and most are evolutionary dead-ends.

Arrigo N ，Barker MS 《-》

The advantages and disadvantages of being polyploid.

Polyploids - organisms that have multiple sets of chromosomes - are common in certain plant and animal taxa, and can be surprisingly stable. The evidence that has emerged from genome analyses also indicates that many other eukaryotic genomes have a polyploid ancestry, suggesting that both humans and most other eukaryotes have either benefited from or endured polyploidy. Studies of polyploids soon after their formation have revealed genetic and epigenetic interactions between redundant genes. These interactions can be related to the phenotypes and evolutionary fates of polyploids. Here, I consider the advantages and challenges of polyploidy, and its evolutionary potential.

Comai L 《NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS》

Consequences of genome duplication.

Polyploidy has been widely appreciated as an important force in the evolution of plant genomes, but now it is recognized as a common phenomenon throughout eukaryotic evolution. Insight into this process has been gained by analyzing the plant, animal, fungal, and recently protozoan genomes that show evidence of whole genome duplication (a transient doubling of the entire gene repertoire of an organism). Moreover, comparative analyses are revealing the evolutionary processes that occur as multiple related genomes diverge from a shared polyploid ancestor, and in individual genomes that underwent several successive rounds of duplication. Recent research including laboratory studies on synthetic polyploids indicates that genome content and gene expression can change quickly after whole genome duplication and that cross-genome regulatory interactions are important. We have a growing understanding of the relationship between whole genome duplication and speciation. Further, recent studies are providing insights into why some gene pairs survive in duplicate, whereas others do not.

Sémon M ，Wolfe KH 《CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT》

Polyploid organisms.

Polyploids are organisms with three or more complete chromosome sets. Polyploidization is widespread in plants and animals, and is an important mechanism of speciation. Genome sequencing and related molecular systematics and bioinformatics studies on plants and animals in recent years support the view that species have been shaped by whole genome duplication during evolution. The stability of polyploids depends on rapid genome recombination and changes in gene expression after formation. The formation of polyploids and subsequent diploidization are important aspects in long-term evolution. Polyploids can be formed in various ways. Among them, hybrid organisms formed by distant hybridization could produce unreduced gametes and thus generate offspring with doubled chromosomes, which is a fast, efficient method of polyploidization. The formation of fertile polyploids not only promoted the interflow of genetic materials among species and enriched the species diversity, but also laid the foundation for polyploidy breeding. The study of polyploids has both important theoretical significance and valuable applications. The production and application of polyploidy breeding have brought remarkable economic and social benefits.

Song C ，Liu S ，Xiao J ，He W ，Zhou Y ，Qin Q ，Zhang C ，Liu Y ... -  《-》