Biology subjects

Pose, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Pose, D..

8 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Context-dependent selection and genetic facilitation and constraint on rosette diameter and herbivore resistance across european outdoor common gardens under ambient and reduced precipitation in Fragaria vesca

The expression of plant defensive traits against herbivores often incurs costs to other essential functions, such as growth and reproduction. Understanding how selection acts on putatively functional traits that are expected to trade off across space and time is therefore critical for predicting evolutionary responses to ongoing and future environmental change. Here, we used multiple replicated genotypes of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca; Rosaceae) grown over two years in three outdoor common gardens in Spain, Belgium, and Sweden. In each garden, genotypes were exposed to both a reduced-precipitation treatment simulating drought and an ambient precipitation treatment. We estimated directional and correlational selection on rosette diameter (a proxy for growth) and herbivore resistance (measured as the inverse of chewing damage) using fruit and stolon production as proxies for sexual and asexual fitness across all environments (i.e., every site x year x treatment combination). We then combined selection gradients with environment-specific genetic (co)variance among genotypes to quantify the expected response to selection ({Delta}z = G{beta}) and to identify covariance-driven constraints or facilitation therein. Selection consistently favored larger rosette diameter for both fitness proxies across nearly all environments, which, in combination with genetic covariances among genotypes, resulted in a general evolutionary response toward increased rosette diameter, with the strongest response at the wettest site (Belgium). In contrast, selection on resistance and the corresponding among-genotype evolutionary responses were strongly context-dependent. Correlational selection on rosette diameter x resistance occurred in only a few environments, primarily under reduced precipitation. Environment-dependent genetic covariances constrained or facilitated selection on both traits only at the site with the highest herbivory (Sweden) under drought conditions. Overall, our results reveal a context-dependent interplay between selection and genetic architecture, underlining the difficulty of predicting evolutionary trajectories under environmental change, and highlighting how spatially and temporally variable conditions may maintain standing genetic variation in plant traits.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Variation in phenotypic plasticity of metabolic and performance traits along a latitudinal gradient in Woodland Strawberry

Phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation jointly determine plant responses to environmental variation, yet their relative contributions and evolutionary interactions remain poorly understood. We grew fifteen woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) genotypes from a European latitudinal gradient in four common gardens for two years, quantifying primary metabolites and biomass, reproduction and herbivore damage-related traits. Considering all measured traits combined, environment explained the largest variance (30%), followed by genotype-by-environment interactions (18%) and genotype effects (9%), indicating substantial heritable plasticity. However, plasticity was not uniform: northern genotypes showed greater plasticity in stress metabolites like succinic acid but more canalized growth traits, whereas southern genotypes maintained constitutively high protective metabolite levels. Latitude explained 4.4% of plasticity profile variation. Phenotypic variation was consistently better explained by long-term temperature than precipitation at the site of origin across all trait groups under study. Our results indicate that plasticity itself is an evolved, trait-specific characteristic shaped by climatic gradients, challenging simple hierarchies of trait lability. Significance StatementWe studied wild strawberries from across Europe and discovered that populations from different regions have evolved distinct adaptive strategies to cope with their local cli-mates. These differences highlight the remarkable diversity of plant solutions to environmental challenges. Understanding these natural adaptations could help us breed strawberries or other plant organisms better suited to future climate conditions.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Uncovering the genetic basis of fruit volatiles in Fragaria vesca through GWAS reveals FvJMT2 as a methyl benzoate biosynthesis gene with insect-repellent function

Strawberry aroma is a key component of fruit quality, influencing consumer preferences and playing important ecological roles, including plant defense. However, the genetic basis of volatile organic compound (VOC) biosynthesis remains only partially understood, particularly in the wild woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca, which has enormous potential to uncover genetic diversity within the genus for improving the commercial strawberries. Here, we performed Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) across a diverse European collection of F. vesca accessions. We identified multiple novel candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis of diverse volatile esters, lactones, terpenoids, and methyl ketones. Among them, we characterized FvJMT2, a SABATH family methyltransferase which we found associated with natural variation in benzenoid esters content. Transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana and strawberry fruit confirmed its role in methyl benzoate biosynthesis, while enzymatic assays demonstrated that FvJMT2 encodes a promiscuous enzyme capable of methylating not only benzoic acid, but also cinnamic, salicylic, and jasmonic acids. Behavioral assays revealed that methyl benzoate at physiologically relevant concentrations significantly reduced the attraction of Drosophila suzukii flies, supporting a dual role of this VOC in both flavor and pest deterrence. Finally, natural variation analyses in wild Fragaria species and F. x ananassa cultivars showed that benzenoid esters have been largely lost in modern cultivars but retained in ancient and wild accessions. Altogether, this study provides novel insights into the genetics and ecological relevance of strawberry volatiles and identifies candidate loci and alleles for future studies.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2025

FaRIF at the Core of Strawberry Fruit Ripening: Deciphering its Targets and Interaction Networks

Ripening Inducing Factor (RIF) is a key NAC transcription factor regulating strawberry fruit ripening. Previous studies using RIF-RNAi and overexpression lines in Fragaria x ananassa and CRISPR knock-out lines in F. vesca have established the role of RIF in controlling ABA biosynthesis and signaling, cell wall remodeling, and secondary metabolism. In this study, we deciphered FaRIFs transcriptional regulatory network by combining ChIP-seq-based identification of its direct targets with an analysis of FaRIF-RNAi transcriptome data. These analyses revealed FaRIFs direct role in multiple aspects of strawberry fruit ripening, including the regulation of ripening-related transcription factors, phytohormone content and signaling, primary and secondary metabolism, and cell wall degradation. Additionally, using the TurboID-based proximity labeling approach, we have identified FaRIF interactors, including proteins involved in mRNA and protein homeostasis, as well as several NAC transcription factors. Among these, FaNAC034 was found to synergistically enhance FaRIFs transcriptional activity. This integrative analysis, combining transcriptome analysis, in vivo ChIP-seq, and proximity labeling, broadens our knowledge of FaRIF-mediated transcriptional networks and interaction partners, providing valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying strawberry fruit ripening regulation by this transcription factor.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Late Quaternary climatic impact on the woodland strawberry genome: a perennial herb's tale

Exploring a species paleohistory is crucial for understanding its responsiveness to climatic events, identifying drivers of adaptation, and developing effective biodiversity conservation strategies in the face of ongoing climate change. We analyzed 200 genomes of the perennial herb woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) from across Europe and investigated the population structure and demographic history of the species during past geoclimatic events. We found a clear division of populations into western and eastern genetic clusters, indicative of distinct glacial refugia and adaptations to variation in temperature seasonality. The eastern core populations were several times larger (defined as effective population size, NE) than populations in other regions, showed no evidence of inbreeding, and were resilient to several glacial maxima. However, we observed decreasing NE and higher inbreeding in populations toward range edges, particularly in the north, where these individuals went through bottlenecks during glaciations. Population divergence suggested that western and eastern Europe were colonized from separate refugia in multiple waves during the Holocene, while the largest current populations from the northern Mediterranean to southern regions of the Nordic countries formed a connected population chain with gene flow between eastern core populations and western Europe, primarily occurring through Central Europe. Similar patterns of colonization and hybridization may have occurred during past interglacial periods, contributing to the present-day population structure of woodland strawberry. We suggest that the unprecedented resolution of the species climatic history across six glacial-interglacial cycles presented here holds the promise of transforming the general understanding of species paleohistory through geoclimatically tracing ancestral haplotypes.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Allelic Variation of MYB10 is the Major Force Controlling Natural Variation of Skin and Flesh Color in Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) fruit

Anthocyanins are the principal color-producing compounds synthesized in developing fruits of strawberry (Fragaria spp.). Substantial natural variation in color have been observed in fruits of diploid and octoploid accessions, resulting from distinct accumulation and distribution of anthocyanins in fruits. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is controlled by a clade of R2R3 MYB transcription factors, among which MYB10 has been shown as the main activator in strawberry fruit. Here, we show that MYB10 mutations cause most of the anthocyanin variation observed in diploid woodland strawberry (F. vesca) and octoploid cultivated strawberry (F. xananassa). Using a mapping-by-sequencing approach, we identified a gypsy-transposon insertion in MYB10 that truncates the protein and knocks out anthocyanin biosynthesis in a white-fruited F. vesca ecotype. Two additional loss-of-function MYB10 mutations were identified among geographically diverse white-fruited F. vesca ecotypes. Genetic and transcriptomic analyses in octoploid Fragaria spp. revealed that FaMYB10-2, one of three MYB10 homoeologs identified, residing in the F. iinumae-derived subgenome, regulates the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in developing fruit. Furthermore, independent mutations in MYB10-2 are the underlying cause of natural variation in fruit skin and flesh color in octoploid strawberry. We identified a CACTA-like transposon (FaEnSpm-2) insertion in the MYB10-2 promoter of red-fleshed accessions that was associated with enhanced expression and anthocyanin accumulation. Our findings suggest that putative cis regulatory elements provided by FaEnSpm-2 are required for high and ectopic MYB10-2 expression and induction of anthocyanin biosynthesis in fruit flesh. We developed MYB10-2 (sub-genome) specific DNA markers for marker-assisted selection that accurately predicted anthocyanin phenotypes in octoploid segregating populations.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2018

TTL proteins scaffold brassinosteroid signaling components at the plasma membrane to optimize signal transduction in plant cells

Brassinosteroids (BRs) form a group of steroidal hormones essential for plant growth, development and stress responses. Here, we report that plant-specific TETRATRICOPEPTIDE THIOREDOXIN-LIKE (TTL) proteins are positive regulators of BR signaling functioning as scaffold for BR signaling components in Arabidopsis. TTL3 forms a complex with all core components involved in BR signaling, including the receptor kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1), the transcription factor BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT1 (BZR1) and the phosphatase BRI1-SUPPRESSOR1 (BSU1), but excluding the co-receptor BAK1. TTL3 is mainly localized in the cytoplasm, but BR treatment increases its localization at the plasma membrane, where it strengthens the association with BR signaling components. Consistent with a role in BR signaling, mutations in TTL3 and related TTL1 and TTL4 genes cause reduced BR responsiveness. We propose a mechanistic model for BR signaling, in which cytoplasmic/nuclear BR components bound to TTL proteins are recruited to the plasma membrane upon BR perception, which in turn allows the assembly of a BR signaling complex, leading to the de-phosphorylation and nuclear accumulation of the transcription factors BZR1 and BES1.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Functional Analysis of TM6 MADS box gene in the Octoploid Strawberry by CRISPR/Cas9 directed mutagenesis

The B-class of MADS-box transcription factors has been studied in many plant species, but remain functionally uncharacterized in the Rosaceae family. APETALA3 (AP3), a member of this class, controls the identity of petals and stamens in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this work, we identified two members of the AP3 lineage in the cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa): FaAP3 and FaTM6. Interestingly, FaTM6, and not FaAP3, shows an expression pattern equivalent to that of AP3 in Arabidopsis. Genome editing using Cluster Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system is becoming a robust tool for targeted and stable mutagenesis of DNA. However, whether it can be efficiently used in an octoploid species such as F. x ananassa is not known. Here we report for the first time the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in F. x ananassa to characterize the function of FaTM6 in flower development. An exhaustive analysis by high-throughput sequencing of the FaTM6 locus spanning the target sites showed a high efficiency genome editing already in the T0 generation. The phenotypic characterization of the mutant lines indicates that FaTM6 plays a key role in petal and especially in anther development in strawberry. in an octoploid species such as F. x ananassa, and offer new opportunities for engineering strawberry to improve traits of interest in breeding programs.

molecular biology↗