Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081707%3A_____%2F25%3A00637716" target="_blank" >RIV/68081707:_____/25:00637716 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09171-z" target="_blank" >https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09171-z</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09171-z" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41586-025-09171-z</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Bimodal centromeres in pentaploid dogroses shed light on their unique meiosis

Original language description

Sexual reproduction relies on meiotic chromosome pairing to form bivalents, a process that is complicated in polyploids owing to the presence of multiple subgenomes1. Uneven ploidy mostly results in sterility due to unbalanced chromosome pairing and segregation during meiosis. However, pentaploid dogroses (Rosa sect. Caninae, 2n = 5x = 35) achieve stable sexual reproduction through a unique mechanism: 14 chromosomes form bivalents and are transmitted biparentally, while the remaining 21 chromosomes are maternally inherited as univalents2,3. Despite being studied for over a century, the role of centromeres in this process has remained unclear. Here we analyse haplotype-resolved chromosome-level genome assemblies for three pentaploid dogroses. Subgenome phasing revealed a bivalent-forming subgenome with two highly homozygous chromosome sets and three divergent subgenomes lacking homologous partners, therefore explaining their meiotic behaviour. Comparative analyses of chromosome synteny, phylogenetic relationships and centromere composition indicate that the subgenomes originated from two divergent clades of the genus Rosa. Pollen genome analysis shows that subgenomes from different evolutionary origins form bivalents, supporting multiple origins of dogroses and highlighting variation in subgenome contributions. We reveal that bivalent-forming centromeres are enriched with ATHILA retrotransposons, contrasting with larger tandem-repeat-based centromeres mainly found in univalents. This centromere structural bimodality possibly contributes to univalent drive during female meiosis. Our findings provide insights into the unique reproductive strategies of dogroses, advancing our understanding of genome evolution, centromere diversity and meiotic mechanisms in organisms with asymmetrical inheritance systems.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10601 - Cell biology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Nature

ISSN

0028-0836

e-ISSN

1476-4687

Volume of the periodical

643

Issue of the periodical within the volume

8070

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

27

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

001511395800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105008384553