WIKIMEDIA, AELWYN
Species: Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
Genome size: 198 million base pairs
Researchers in Europe have published the first complete genome of Cardamine hirsuta, an unobtrusive herb in the mustard family that is partial to damp soil. Using a comparative approach, in their analysis—published last month (October 31) in Nature Plants—the researchers proposed mechanisms by which gene-by-gene selection generates morphological diversity in the species and related plants.
The team compared the C. hirsuta genome to that of its close relative, Arabidopsis thaliana, looking for genetic differences correlated to morphological differences between the plants—in particular, the difference in the shape of their leaves.
After identifying genes expressed differentially during leaf development in both plants, the team found that those genes included an unusual number of transcription factors ...
