Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41178124›Full record

ArticleThe New phytologist2026

The architecture of resilience: a genome assembly of Myrothamnus flabellifolia sheds light on desiccation tolerance and sex determination.

Rose A Marks, John T Lovell, Sarah B Carey, Llewelyn Van Der Pas, Nyaradzai M Chimukuche, Tomáš Brůna, Christopher Plott, Jenell Webber, Anna Lipzen, Juying Yan and 12 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The New phytologist, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Rose A MarksDepartment of Plant Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7102-5959
John T LovellHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8938-1166
Sarah B CareyHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6431-0660
Llewelyn Van Der PasDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4007-5811
Nyaradzai M ChimukucheDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1604-1531
Tomáš BrůnaUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9811-5532
Christopher PlottHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0109-5174
Jenell WebberHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6155-6218
Anna LipzenUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2293-9329
Juying YanUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0079-4800
Diane BauerUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3660-4629
Joanne BentleyAfrican Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0691-0323
Jayson TalagArizona Genomics Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6085-214X
Chloee M McLaughlinHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6345-6764
Kerrie BarryUS Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8999-6785
Jane GrimwoodHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8356-8325
Jerry W JenkinsHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7943-3997
Jeremy SchmutzHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8062-9172
Alex HarkessHudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2035-0871
Robert VanBurenPlant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2133-2760
James Leebens-MackDepartment of Plant Biology and The Plant Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4811-2231
Jill M FarrantDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1450-7967

Funding

Directorate for Biological Sciences CAREER-223930Directorate for Biological Sciences DBI-2213983Directorate for Biological Sciences IOS-PRFB-1906094Directorate for Biological Sciences MCB-1817347
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Myrothamnus flabellifolia is a dioecious resurrection plant endemic to southern Africa that has become an important model for understanding desiccation tolerance. Despite its ecological and medicinal significance, genomic and transcriptomic resources for the species are limited. We generated a chromosome-level, haplotype-resolved reference genome assembly and annotation for M. flabellifolia and conducted transcriptomic profiling across a natural dehydration-rehydration time course in the field. Genome architecture and sex determination were characterized, and co-expression network and cis-regulatory element (CRE) enrichment analyses were used to investigate dynamic responses to desiccation. The 1.28-Gb genome exhibits unusually consistent chromatin architecture with unique chromosome organization across highly divergent haplotypes. We identified an XY sexual system with a small sex-determining region on Chromosome 8. Transcriptomic responses varied with dehydration severity, pointing to early suppression of growth, progressive activation of protective mechanisms, and subsequent return to homeostasis upon rehydration. Late embryogenesis abundant and early light-induced protein transcripts were dynamically regulated and showed enrichment of abscisic acid and stress-responsive CREs pointing toward conserved responses. Together, this study provides foundational resources for understanding the genomic architecture and reproductive biology of M. flabellifolia and offers new insights into the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalDesiccationGenome, PlantSex Determination ProcessesChromosomes, PlantDehydrationGene Expression ProfilingGene Expression Regulation, PlantHaplotypesMolecular Sequence AnnotationStress, PhysiologicalTranscriptomechromosome structuredesiccation tolerancedroughtgenome architecturegenomicsresurrection plantssex determinationtranscriptomics

Identifiers

PMID41178124
PMCPMC12712429

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.