Terpenes are among the most abundant and diverse natural compounds produced by plants. These compounds serve a range of vital ecological functions, such as attracting pollinators, repelling herbivores, and defending against pathogens. Despite their ecological importance, the evolutionary processes driving the diversity of terpenes remain poorly understood. Terpene synthases (TPSs) are the enzymes responsible for synthesizing these compounds, yet how these genes have evolved to produce such an array of terpenes is still a mystery. This knowledge gap has driven the need for further exploration into the evolutionary dynamics and functional diversity of TPS genes in angiosperms.
Published (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae272) on September 25, 2024, in Horticulture Research, this comprehensive study by a team from Zhejiang University and Yazhouwan National Laboratory uncovers significant evolutionary patterns in terpene synthase genes across angiosperms. By analyzing 222 TPS genes from 24 species, the research reveals how gene duplication and functional divergence have enabled plants to produce an impressive range of terpenes—compounds vital for plant survival and ecological interactions.
The study focused on the catalytic products of the 222 TPS genes, revealing that the TPS-a, TPS-b, and TPS-g subfamilies have undergone significant expansion in angiosperms. These subfamilies are responsible for producing a variety of terpenes, including monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, and sesterterpenes. The TPS-a subfamily, unique to angiosperms, exhibited a notable species-specific clustering, pointing to a phenomenon of species-specific expansions.
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