Location: Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research
Title: Allelochemicals targeted to balance competing selections in African agroecosystemsAuthor
WU, YUYE - Iowa State University | |
WU, YUN - Kansas State University | |
GAO, TINGTING - Iowa State University | |
MU, QI - Iowa State University | |
WANG, JINYU - Iowa State University | |
LI, XIN - Iowa State University | |
TIAN, BIN - Kansas State University | |
Wang, Ming | |
Bai, Guihua | |
RAMASAMY, PERUMAL - Kansas State University | |
TRICK, HAROLD - Kansas State University | |
Bean, Scott | |
ISMAIL, DWEIKAT - University Of Nebraska | |
TURINSTA, MITCHELL - Indiana University-Purdue University | |
MORRIS, GEOFFREY - Kansas State University | |
TESFAYE, TESSO - Kansas State University | |
YU, JIANMING - Iowa State University | |
LI, XIANRAN - Iowa State University |
Submitted to: Nature Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 10/29/2019 Publication Date: 12/2/2019 Citation: Wu, Y., Wu, Y., Gao, T., Mu, Q., Wang, J., Li, X., Tian, B., Wang, M.L., Bai, G., Ramasamy, P., Trick, H.N., Bean, S.R., Ismail, D.M., Turinsta, M.R., Morris, G., Tesfaye, T.T., Yu, J., Li, X. 2019. Allelochemicals targeted to balance competing selection forces in African agroecosystems. Nature Plants. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0563-0. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-019-0563-0 Interpretive Summary: Grain of most sorghum cultivars contains condensed tannins that can trigger bitter taste perception in animals. Condensed tannins effectively prevented sparrows from eating sorghum grain. This study identified two duplicate recessive genes (Tan1 and Tan2) conditioning the tannin content in sorghum grain. Interestingly, humans independently have selected both tannin and non- tannin alleles of two genes that both are beneficial to humans with tannin defending against herbivore threats and non-tannin desired for palatable food. Different human groups likely had driven this bidirectional selection according to varied local herbivore threats and taste sensitivity. The results suggest a coevolution interaction between humans and plants linked by allelochemicals to adapt to local environments. Technical Abstract: Among major cereals domesticated as staple food, only sorghum has a high proportion of cultivars with condensed tannins in grain, which can trigger bitter perception in animals by binding to type 2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs). Here we report the uncovering of a pair of duplicate recessive genes (Tan1 and Tan2) underlying the tannin presence. Condensed tannins effectively prevented sparrows from consuming sorghum grain. Interestingly, both dominant and recessive alleles of two genes have undergone independent artificial selection because of their respective benefits to humans: tannin defending against herbivore threats and non-tannin desired for palatable food. Association between geographic distributions of human TAS2R variants in African populations and tannin sorghum cultivars across Africa suggested that different human groups likely had driven this bidirectional selection according to varied local herbivore threats and taste sensitivity. Our investigation uncovers a coevolution interaction between humans and plants linked by allelochemicals to adapt to local environments. |