Sea buckthorn's genome reveals secrets of extreme mountain survival
Zeng Z, Wang J, Norbu N, Bonjor N, Tan X
Climate Adaptation
Sea buckthorn berries show up in health food stores and herbal teas, and this shrub's genetic toolkit for surviving brutal cold and UV exposure could help breeders develop hardier fruit and windbreak plants for harsh climates.
Sea buckthorn is a hardy shrub that grows across some of the world's toughest terrain, from low valleys to the highest reaches of the Tibetan Plateau. By comparing the full genetic blueprints of several sea buckthorn types, researchers found that ancient duplicated genes and mobile DNA snippets gave different populations the tools to handle cold snaps, intense UV light, and dry conditions in their own local ways. This helps explain how one plant family split into specialists for very different mountain environments in just a few million years.
Key Findings
Whole-genome phylogenies dated major species divergences to 6.71-2.83 million years ago, coinciding with Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift and Asian monsoon intensification
Two ancient whole-genome duplications (35-40 and 25-30 million years ago) left retained gene copies enriched for ABA/MAPK signaling, cold-stress response, and reactive oxygen species metabolism
Core gene families make up ~55% of the pan-genome, while the high-elevation species H. tibetana carries the highest proportion of species-specific genes
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists decoded the genomes of sea buckthorn plants living across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's extreme elevations and climates, revealing that ancient gene duplications and DNA-jumping elements helped these shrubs rapidly adapt to harsh conditions like cold, UV radiation, and drought.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Comparative genomics clarifies phylogenetic relationships and genome evolution in Hippophae from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
The uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and associated climatic oscillations have shaped plant evolution, yet how adaptive strategies diversify along elevational, moisture, and latitudinal gr...
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Sea-buckthorn, also known as sea buckthorn, sandthorn, sallowthorn or seaberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeagnaceae, native to cold-temperate regions of Eurasia. It is a spiny deciduous shrub. The fruit has culinary uses, while its extracts, including its oil, are used in t...