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The Silene latifolia genome and its giant Y chromosome

Moraga, C.; Branco, C.; Rougemont, Q.; Veltsos, P.; Jedlicka, P.; Muyle, A.; Hanique, M.; Tannier, E.; Liu, X.; Mendoza-Galindo, E.; Lemaitre, C.; Fields, P. D.; Cruaud, C.; Labadie, K.; Belser, C.; Briolay, J.; Santoni, S.; Cegan, R.; Linheiro, R.; Rodriguez de la Vega, R.; Adam, G.; El Filali, A.; Mossion, V.; Boualem, A.; Tavares, R.; Chebbi, A.; Cordaux, R.; Fruchard, C.; Prentout, D.; Velt, A.; Spataro, B.; Delmotte, S.; Weingartner, L.; Toegelova, H.; Tulpova, Z.; Capal, P.; Simkova, H.; Storchova, H.; Kruger, M.; Abeyawardana, O. A.; Taylor, D.; Olson, M.; Sloan, D. B.; Karrenberg, S.;

2023-09-22 genomics
10.1101/2023.09.21.558754 bioRxiv
Show abstract

In some species, the Y is a tiny chromosome but the dioecious plant Silene latifolia has a giant [~]550 Mb Y chromosome, which has remained unsequenced so far. Here we used a hybrid approach to obtain a high-quality male S. latifolia genome. Using mutants for sexual phenotype, we identified candidate sex-determining genes on the Y. Comparative analysis of the sex chromosomes with outgroups showed the Y is surprisingly rearranged and degenerated for a [~]11 MY-old system. Recombination suppression between X and Y extended in a stepwise process, and triggered a massive accumulation of repeats on the Y, as well as in the non-recombining pericentromeric region of the X, leading to giant sex chromosomes. One-Sentence SummaryThis work uncovers the structure, function, and evolution of one of the largest giant Y chromosomes, that of the model plant Silene latifolia, which is almost 10 times larger than the human Y, despite similar genome sizes.

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