Echinochloa crus-galli genome analysis provides insight into its adaptation and invasiveness as a weed

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1031 - 10
• Main Authors: Guo, Longbiao, Qiu, Jie, Ye, Chuyu, Jin, Gulei, Mao, Lingfeng, Zhang, Haiqiang, Yang, Xuefang, Peng, Qiong, Wang, Yingying, Jia, Lei, Lin, Zhangxiang, Li, Gengmi, Fu, Fei, Liu, Chen, Chen, Li, Shen, Enhui, Wang, Weidi, Chu, Qinjie, Wu, Dongya, Wu, Sanling, Xia, Chenyang, Zhang, Yongfei, Zhou, Xiaomao, Wang, Lifeng, Wu, Lamei, Song, Weijie, Wang, Yunfei, Shu, Qingyao, Aoki, Daisuke, Yumoto, Emi, Yokota, Takao, Miyamoto, Koji, Okada, Kazunori, Kim, Do-Soon, Cai, Daguang, Zhang, Chulong, Lou, Yonggen, Qian, Qian, Yamaguchi, Hirofumi, Yamane, Hisakazu, Kong, Chui-Hua, Timko, Michael P., Bai, Lianyang, Fan, Longjiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18-10-2017; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/208/726; 631/449/2491; 631/449/2661/2666; 631/449/2669; Adaptation; Agricultural land; Biosynthesis; Cultivation; Cytochrome P450; Detoxification; Echinochloa crus-galli; Gene clusters; Genes; Genomes; Genomic analysis; Glutathione; Grain cultivation; Humanities and Social Sciences; Invasiveness; Molecular modelling; multidisciplinary; Nucleotide sequence; Oryza; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Weeds
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01067-5

Barnyardgrass (
Echinochloa crus-galli
) is a pernicious weed in agricultural fields worldwide. The molecular mechanisms underlying its success in the absence of human intervention are presently unknown. Here we report a draft genome sequence of the hexaploid species
E. crus-galli
, i.e., a 1.27 Gb assembly representing 90.7% of the predicted genome size. An extremely large repertoire of genes encoding cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and glutathione S-transferases associated with detoxification are found. Two gene clusters involved in the biosynthesis of an allelochemical 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) and a phytoalexin momilactone A are found in the
E. crus-galli
genome, respectively. The allelochemical DIMBOA gene cluster is activated in response to co-cultivation with rice, while the phytoalexin momilactone A gene cluster specifically to infection by pathogenic
Pyricularia oryzae
. Our results provide a new understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the extreme adaptation of the weed.
Barnyardgrass is a problematic agricultural weed. Here, via genomic analysis, Guo et al. identify genes potentially underlying its success, including a gene cluster activated in response to co-cultivation with rice that leads to synthesis of the allelochemical DIMBOA.