Re-acquisition of the brittle rachis trait via a transposon insertion in domestication gene Q during wheat de-domestication

De-domestication is a unique evolutionary process during which crops re-acquire wild-like traits to survive and persist in agricultural fields without the need for human cultivation. The re-acquisition of seed dispersal mechanisms is crucial for crop de-domestication. Common wheat is an important cereal crop worldwide. Tibetan semi-wild wheat is a potential de-domesticated common wheat subspecies. However, the crucial genes responsible for its brittle rachis trait have not been identified. Genetic mapping, functional analyses and phylogenetic analyses were completed to identify the gene associated with Qbr.sau-5A, which is a major locus for the brittle rachis trait of Tibetan semi-wild wheat. The cloned Qbr.sau-5A gene is a new Q allele (Q(t)) with a 161-bp transposon insertion in exon 5. Although Q(t) is expressed normally, its encoded peptide lacks some key features of the APETALA2 family. The abnormal functions of Q(t) in developing wheat spikes result in brittle rachises. Phylogenetic and genotyping analyses confirmed that Q(t) originated from Q in common wheat and is naturally distributed only in Tibetan semi-wild wheat populations. The identification of Q(t) provides new evidence regarding the origin of Tibetan semi-wild wheat, and new insights into the re-acquisition of wild traits during crop de-domestication.