✅   Evolutionary conserved sap peptides derived from xylem-specific peptide precursors in woody angiosperms

science

Peptides act as long-distance mobile signals, transported through vascular sap to coordinate complex developmental processes. Since the tissue-specificity of peptide precursor gene expression is critical in determining peptide signaling function, we integrated vascular sap peptidomes with tissue-level transcriptomes to investigate the roles of sap peptides in two economically important woody plants, Populus trichocarpa and Eucalyptus grandis. Xylem exhibited the highest ratio of tissue-specific sap peptide precursor genes. Most of the sap peptides derived from xylem-specific precursor genes of P. trichocarpa and E. grandis were highly conserved throughout woody species selected from different clades in angiosperms, including magnoliids, rosids and asterids in eudicots.

BioRxiv     Oct 13, 2024