The evolution of seeds transformed life on earth and is responsible for our most important food crops. Gymnosperms, the oldest living seed plants, are an untapped genomic reservoir for genes involved in seed evolution. Our gymnosperm data identifies unreported candidate ovule regulated genes in Arabidopsis. Our work provides a resource for seed gene discovery, conservation, and crop improvement.
Developmentally regulated genes drive phylogenomic splits in ovule evolution. Veronica M Sondervan, Gil Eshel, Kranthi Varala, Samantha Frangos, Manpreet S Katari, Tim L Jeffers, Cecilia Zumajo-Cardona, Sebastiano Nigris, Lisa DeGironimo, Tynisha Smalls, W Richard McCombie, Damon P Little, Barbara Ambrose, Dennis Wm Stevenson, Gloria M Coruzzi. Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 9589 (2025).