Evolutionary transcriptomics unveils rapid changes of gene expression patterns in flowering plants

Schuster, Christoph; Gabel, Alexander; Drost, Hajk‐Georg; Große, Ivo; Leyser, Ottoline; Meyerowitz, Elliot M.

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2025.12.015

articleCellJan 1, 2026HYBRID OA

Evolutionary transcriptomics unveils rapid changes of gene expression patterns in flowering plants

CSChristoph Schuster AGAlexander Gabel HDHajk‐Georg Drost IGIvo Große OLOttoline Leyser

Sainsbury Laboratory · Goethe University Frankfurt · +4 more institutions

PubMed

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Abstract

The evolutionary history of angiosperms (flowering plants) is characterized by a highly accelerated rate of diversification. Although a number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain the ecological success and rapid rise of angiosperms, the molecular mechanisms underlying their speciation are only partially understood. In this study, we analyzed the developmental transcriptomes of seven angiosperm species spanning 160 million years of evolution. We demonstrate that angiosperm protein-coding gene expression patterns diverged rapidly. Particularly high rates of expression changes were found for genes that are involved in the response to endogenous and environmental stimuli, promoting broad ecological…

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Topics & keywords

Topics

Keywords

Transcriptome
Gene
Gene expression
Genetic algorithm
Divergence (linguistics)
Adaptation (eye)
Human evolutionary genetics
Ecological speciation

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Life in Land

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