4-hydroxyisoleucine and camalexin

Plants synthesize numerous ecologically specialized, lineage-specific metabolites through biosynthetic gene duplication and functional specialization. However, it remains unclear how duplicated genes are wired into existing regulatory networks. We show that the duplicated gene CYP82C2 has been recruited into the WRKY33 regulon and indole-3-carbonylnitrile (ICN) biosynthetic pathway through exaptation of a retroduplicated LINE retrotransposon (EPCOT3) into an enhancer. The stepwise development of a chromatin-accessible WRKY33-binding site on EPCOT3 has potentiated the regulatory neofunctionalization of CYP82C2 and the evolution of inducible defense metabolite 4-hydroxy-ICN in Arabidopsis thaliana. Although transposable elements (TEs) have long been recognized to have the potential to rewire regulatory networks, these results establish a more complete understanding of how duplicated genes and TEs contribute in concert to chemical diversity and pathogen defense.

Topics: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Binding Sites; Biosynthetic Pathways; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; DNA Transposable Elements; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Duplication; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genome, Plant; Glucosinolates; Indoles; Isoleucine; Plant Diseases; Plant Immunity; Pseudomonas syringae; Regulon; Secondary Metabolism; Thiazoles; Transcription Factors