An international consortium of researchers led by Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands has sequenced the genome of the “resurrection plant” Xerophyta viscosa, and published the DNA sequence in Nature Plants. Through their research, the scientists discovered a genetic footprint that enables this plant to tolerate severe drought for long periods of time. The team hopes their results will contribute to a faster development of food crops that are resilient enough to cope with foreseen global climate changes.
The consortium, comprising researchers from South Africa, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands, chose to study the Xerophyta viscosa, a plant native to Southern Africa, because of its ability to survive complete drying. To understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms enabling vegetative desiccation tolerance, the team sequenced the genome of Xerophyta viscosa. They also studied changes in gene expression patterns during dehydration in order to find genes that enable the plant to survive desiccation.
“Much to our surprise we did not find a link between genes active during desiccation and genes known for their activity during drought-induced senescence,” said study author Maria-Cecília Costa, Laboratory of Plant Physiology at Wageningen University & Research. “However, the team did find a link with genes involved in seed ripening, a process that allows seeds to survive many years of dry storage. This may mean that Xerophyta viscosa acquired its desiccation tolerance from ancestors that evolved genes that allow seeds to survive drying.”