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Andong Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to Andong Zhu.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Haplotype-resolved genome of Forsythia suspensa reveals the reticulate evolution in Oleaceae and a novel gene cluster regulating stamen development.

The olive family (Oleaceae) comprises numerous species of economic, horticultural, and medicinal importance. Despite its significance, the evolutionary history of this complex family remains enigmatic. Here, we generated a high-quality haplotype-resolved genome of Forsythia suspensa, a distylous species that occupies a key phylogenetic position in Oleaceae. The 2 haplotypes exhibit significant allelic divergence with potential allele-specific regulation. We reconstructed the polyploidization history of Oleaceae by confirming and precisely dating a shared whole-genome triplication and an independent whole-genome duplication event. We revealed a complex reticulate evolution that gave rise to the tribe Oleeae: an initial hybridization between Forsythieae (♂) and Jasmineae (♀), a subsequent backcrossing event, and a final whole-genome duplication. We identified a novel tandemly duplicated pectin methylesterase inhibitor gene cluster that regulates filament length and pollen size via restricting cell elongation in the long-styled morph. Dosage augmentation via stepwise cluster formation (0.99 to 3.83 Mya) may contribute to maintaining stamen traits of the long-styled morph. These FsPMEIs are co-expressed with many cell wall-related genes, suggesting a functional link in cell wall modification. Our study reveals the reticulate evolution in Oleaceae and a novel gene cluster controlling stamen development in F. suspensa and provides valuable haplotype-resolved genomic resources for heterostylous species, offering novel framework and molecular pathways to understand plant adaptive evolution.

Forsythia↗
PubMed2026

Biosynthesis and heterologous production of the α-agarofuran scaffold of Celangulin V from Celastrus angulatus.

Celangulin V is a widely used biopesticide derived from Celastrus angulatus, and features antifeedant and insecticidal properties as a dihydro-β-agarofuran (DHβAF) sesquiterpenoid. Its biosynthesis remains largely unexplored. Here, we assemble a chromosome-level and haplotype-resolved reference genome of C. angulatus, with each haplotype assembled into 23 pseudochromosomes and achieving scaffold N50 of 14.31 and 14.01 Mb, respectively. This high-quality genome reveals that a recent β whole-genome triplication (β-WGT) event occurred ~34.3 million years ago, and that the expansion of sesquiterpene synthases and cytochrome P450s from the CYP71BE family results from whole-genome duplication (WGD) event and tandem duplication, respectively. We identify CaTPS16 as a γ-eudesmol synthase, and show that CYP71BE416 further catalyzes the γ-eudesmol to tetrahydrofuran ring α-agarofuran for Celangulin V biosynthesis. We further achieve the de novo synthesis of α-agarofuran in Saccharomyces cerevisiae through combined coexpression of these genes. This study has significantly increases the available genomic resources of the Celastraceae family, improves our understanding of the biosynthetic origins and evolution of the tetrahydrofuran ring in DHβAF sesquiterpenoids, and enables its heterologous bioproduction in microbial chassis.

Celastrus↗