Transposon Insertion Drove the Loss of Natural Seed Shattering during Foxtail Millet Domestication

Loss of seed shattering was a key step during cereal domestication, and it greatly facilitated seed harvest of the staple cereal foxtail millet (Setaria italica) because the cereal has very small seeds. However, the genetic basis for this loss has been largely unknown. Here, we combined comparative and association mapping to identify an 855-bp Harbinger transposable element insertion in the second exon of the foxtail millet gene shattering1 (sh1) that was responsible for the loss of seed shattering. The sh1 gene encodes zinc finger and YABBY domains. The insert prevents transcription of the second exon, causing partial loss of the zinc finger domain and then loss of natural seed shattering. Specifically, sh1 functions as a transcription repressor and represses the transcription of genes associated with lignin synthesis in the abscission zone, including CAD2. The diversity of sh1 is highly reduced in foxtail millet, consistent with either a severe domestication bottleneck or a selective sweep. Phylogenetic analysis of sh1 further revealed a single origin of foxtail millet in China. Our results support the theories that transposons were the most active factors in genome evolution driving loss of natural seed shattering during foxtail millet domestication and that sh1 underwent parallel selection during domestication across different cereal species.

Automated summary

Loss of seed shattering during foxtail millet domestication was caused by an 855-bp Harbinger transposable element insertion in the sh1 gene. The insertion prevents transcription of the zinc finger domain, leading to the loss of natural seed shattering. The sh1 gene functions as a transcription repressor and represses genes associated with lignin synthesis in the abscission zone.