RESEARCH ARTICLE
Different Sets of Post-Embryonic
Development Genes Are Conserved or Lost in
Two Caryophyllales Species (Reaumuria
soongorica and Agriophyllum squarrosum)
Pengshan Zhao1,2*, Jiwei Zhang1,2, Xin Zhao1,2, Guoxiong Chen1,2, Xiao-Fei Ma1,2
1 Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Regions, Gansu Province, Cold and
Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou,
P.R. China, 2 Shapotou Desert Research & Experiment Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and
Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, P.R. China
* zhaopengshan@lzb.ac.cn
Abstract
Reaumuria soongorica and sand rice (Agriophyllum squarrosum) belong to the clade of Caryophyllales
and are widely distributed in the desert regions of north China. Both plants
have evolved many specific traits and adaptation strategies to cope with recurring environmental
threats. However, the genetic basis that underpins their unique traits and adaptation
remains unknown. In this study, the transcriptome data of R. soongorica and sand rice were
compared with three other species with previously sequenced genomes (Arabidopsis thaliana,
Oryza sativa, and Beta vulgaris). Four different gene sets were identified, namely, the
genes conserved in both species, those lost in both species, those conserved in R. soongorica
only, and those conserved in sand rice only. Gene ontology showed that post-embryonic
development genes (PEDGs) were enriched in all gene sets, and different sets of
PEDGs were conserved or lost in both the R. soongorica and sand rice genomes. Expression
profiles of Arabidopsis orthologs further provided some clues to the function of the species-
specific conserved PEDGs. Such orthologs included LEAFY PETIOLE, which could be
a candidate gene involved in the development of branch priority in sand rice.