Biomedical subjects

Jonathan F Wendel

Publications and source records attributed to Jonathan F Wendel.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

3D chromatin remodeling during domestication defines novel targets for crop improvement.

Three-dimensional (3D) genome folding shapes gene regulation, yet the genetic underpinnings linking 3D genome evolution to phenotypic innovation during domestication remain elusive. Using population-scale Hi-C profiling of 34 semi-wild and 267 cultivated allotetraploid cottons, we generated a pan-3D genome atlas capturing extensive diversity in topologically associating domains (TADs) and chromatin loops. Chromatin interactome-wide association studies identified 105 TAD reconfigurations and 58 loop rewirings that were established as the 3D chromatin basis of fiber quality, boosting heritability estimates for fiber strength by 16% and fiber length by 20%. We reveal that domestication selection within sequence-defined sweeps fixed 57% of 3D conformation signatures, thereby decoupling sequence-level from chromatin-level selection and shifting the subgenome expression balance of 39 homoeologs in cultivated cotton. Sequence-based modeling and mutational analyses identified the C2H2 zinc-finger protein YY1 as a conserved mediator of 3D genome organization. This study provides a resource for redefining precision-breeding paradigms by harnessing cryptic 3D chromatin targets.

3D genome↗

PubMed2026

Adaptive evolution of polyploid crops.

Crop evolution represents a fundamental biological process through which plants respond to selection in different environments. This encompasses mechanisms operating at multiple scales of biological organization, including genetic and epigenetic regulation and higher-order interactions among molecular complexes. This Review synthesizes how polyploidy shapes crop evolution by generating duplicated genes, driving genome reorganization, altering dosage relationships and promoting regulatory divergence, which together influence crop metabolism, physiology, development and environmental responses. We focus mainly on the mechanisms underlying adaptation in polyploid crops, including the consequences of gene and genome duplication, genome reorganization and subfunctionalization. We also examine how hybridization, phenotypic plasticity and crop-microbiome interactions intersect with polyploidy to expand or constrain adaptive potential. Together, these processes affect crop survival, fitness and breeding value under changing environments. We suggest that future research connect polyploid genome architecture with experimentally validated signatures of selection and field performance to make better use of polyploidy-derived variation in crop improvement.

Polyploidy↗

PubMed2026

Comparative Population Genomics of Relictual Caribbean Island Gossypium hirsutum.

Gossypium hirsutum is the world's most important source of cotton fibre, yet the diversity and population structure of its wild forms remain largely unexplored. The complex domestication history of G. hirsutum combined with reciprocal introgression with a second domesticated species, G. barbadense, has generated a wealth of morphological forms and feral derivatives of both species and their interspecies recombinants, which collectively are scattered across a large geographic range in arid regions of the Caribbean basin. Here we assessed genetic diversity within and among populations from two Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico (n = 43, five sites) and Guadeloupe (n = 25, one site), which contain putative wild or introgressed forms. Using whole-genome resequencing data and a phylogenomic framework derived from a broader genomic survey, we parsed individuals into feral derivatives and truly wild forms. Feral cottons display uneven levels of genetic and morphological resemblance to domesticated cottons, with diverse patterns of genetic variation and heterozygosity. These patterns are inferred to reflect a complex history of interspecific and intraspecific gene flow that is spatially highly variable in its effects. Wild cottons in both Caribbean islands appear to be relatively inbred, especially the Guadeloupe samples. Our results highlight the dynamics of population demographics in relictual wild cottons that experienced profound genetic bottlenecks associated with repeated habitat destruction superimposed on a natural ecogeographical distribution comprising widely scattered populations. These results have implications for conservation and utilisation of wild diversity in G. hirsutum.

Genetics, Population↗

PubMed2025

Restoring cytonuclear harmony: Distinct strategies in Arabidopsis auto- and allopolyploids.

Plants rely on tight coordination between nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast genomes to form essential multi-enzyme cytonuclear complexes. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) doubles the nuclear genome, potentially disrupting cytonuclear stoichiometry unless organellar genomes respond accordingly. Targeted analyses of chloroplasts and mitochondria enabled us to dissect the extent and mechanisms of adjustments in both organelles immediately after WGD and across generations in Arabidopsis auto- and allopolyploids. We observed a substantial overcompensation of organellar genome copies in both organelles in early-generation autotetraploids primarily through multiplication of DNA copies within organelles rather than increasing the number of organelles. Despite higher DNA content, mitochondria maintained their volume, and chloroplasts were even smaller. In successive generations, chloroplast DNA copy numbers continued to rise, whereas mitochondrial DNA copies declined. Gene expression patterns also differed between chloroplasts and mitochondria and between auto- and allopolyploids. In autopolyploids, immediate transcriptional changes were minimal, but by the fourth generation after WGD, nuclear genes involved in mitochondria-nuclear complexes were downregulated. In allopolyploids, transcriptional changes appeared immediately in the first generation (chloroplast genes were upregulated and mitochondrial genes were downregulated). Our findings demonstrate that cytonuclear balance is restored through dynamic, organelle-specific, and polyploid-type-specific mechanisms. These insights advance our understanding of the evolution of polyploid genomes.

Arabidopsis↗