Gene Duplication Dynamics in Plant Stress Responses
Summary
Gene duplication is a central driver of plant evolutionary innovation, generating multiple copies of genes that can diverge in function, regulation and structure. Such duplications occur at different scales, from individual tandem arrays to whole-genome events, and underpin adaptive responses to environmental challenges. In the face of drought, salinity, temperature extremes and nutrient limitation, paralogous genes arising from duplication can undergo neofunctionalisation to acquire novel roles or subfunctionalisation to partition ancestral activities. Whole-genome duplications frequently coincide with major climatic shifts, suggesting that polyploidy confers enhanced resilience by expanding gene networks involved in stress perception, signalling and defence. Segmental and tandem duplications further amplify specific gene families, including transcription factors, transporters and metabolic enzymes, thereby fine-tuning responses to abiotic stress. Advances in genome sequencing and transcriptome profiling have revealed how duplicated genes are retained or lost, how their promoters evolve and how epigenetic modifications shape paralog expression under stress. Elucidating these dynamics offers potential for breeding and engineering crops with improved tolerance to a changing climate.
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Gene Duplication Dynamics in Plant Stress Responses publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in gene duplication dynamics in plant stress responses across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Gene duplication: The process by which a segment of DNA containing a gene is copied, resulting in two or more paralogous genes within the genome.
Paralog: A gene copy derived from a duplication event within the same genome, which may evolve distinct functions or expression patterns.
Allopolyploid: A polyploid organism formed by hybridisation between two different species, combining separate chromosome sets.
Neofunctionalisation: The acquisition of a novel function by one copy of a duplicated gene, distinct from the ancestral activity.
Subfunctionalisation: The division of ancestral gene functions between duplicated copies, often through changes in expression domains.
Tandem duplication: The creation of adjacent gene copies in the same chromosomal region, frequently forming gene clusters.
Abiotic stress: Environmental factors such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes or nutrient deprivation that adversely affect plant growth and development.
References
- Genome evolution in plants and the origins of innovation. New Phytologist (2023).
- Duplicate Genes Contribute to Variability in Abiotic Stress Resistance in Allopolyploid Wheat. Plants (2023).
- Genetic Conservation of CBS Domain Containing Protein Family in Oryza Species and Their Association with Abiotic Stress Responses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2022).
- Evolution and Expression of the Membrane Attack Complex and Perforin Gene Family in the Poaceae. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2020).
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