Deciphering the Mechanism of Glyphosate Resistance in Amaranthus palmeri by Cytogenomics.

In agriculture, various chemicals are used to control the weeds. Out of which, glyphosate is an important herbicide invariably used in the cultivation of glyphosate-resistant crops to control weeds. Overuse of glyphosate results in the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds. Evolution of glyphosate resistance (GR) in Amaranthus palmeri (AP) is a serious concern in the USA. Investigation of the mechanism of GR in AP identified different resistance mechanisms of which 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene amplification is predominant. Molecular analysis of GR AP identified the presence of a 5- to >160-fold increase in copies of the EPSPS gene than in a glyphosate-susceptible (GS) population. This increased copy number of the EPSPS gene increased the genome size ranging from 3.5 to 11.8%, depending on the copy number compared to the genome size of GS AP. FISH analysis using a 399-kb EPSPS cassette derived from bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) as probes identified that amplified EPSPS copies in GR AP exist in extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) in addition to the native copy in the chromosome. The EPSPS gene-containing eccDNA having a size of ∼400 kb is termed EPSPS-eccDNA and showed somatic mosacism in size and copy number. EPSPS-eccDNA has a genetic mechanism to tether randomly to mitotic or meiotic chromosomes during cell division or gamete formation and is inherited to daughter cells or progeny generating copy number variation. These eccDNAs are stable genetic elements that can replicate and exist independently. The genomic characterization of the EPSPS locus, along with the flanking regions, identified the presence of a complex array of repeats and mobile genetic elements. The cytogenomics approach in understanding the biology of EPSPS-eccDNA sheds light on various characteristics of EPSPS-eccDNA that favor GR in AP.