Inferring the Genetic Basis of Sex Determination from the Genome of a Dioecious Nightshade

Dissecting the genetic mechanisms underlying dioecy (i.e., separate female and male individuals) is critical for understanding the evolution of this pervasive reproductive strategy. Nonetheless, the genetic basis of sex determination remains unclear in many cases, especially in systems where dioecy has arisen recently. Within the economically important plant genus Solanum (∼2,000 species), dioecy is thought to have evolved independently at least 4 times across roughly 20 species. Here, we generate the first genome sequence of a dioecious Solanum and use it to ascertain the genetic basis of sex determination in this species. We de novo assembled and annotated the genome of Solanum appendiculatum (assembly size: ∼750 Mb scaffold N50: 0.92 Mb; ∼35,000 genes), identified sex-specific sequences and their locations in the genome, and inferred that males in this species are the heterogametic sex. We also analyzed gene expression patterns in floral tissues of males and females, finding approximately 100 genes that are differentially expressed between the sexes. These analyses, together with observed patterns of gene-family evolution specific to S. appendiculatum, consistently implicate a suite of genes from the regulatory network controlling pectin degradation and modification in the expression of sex. Furthermore, the genome of a species with a relatively young sex-determination system provides the foundational resources for future studies on the independent evolution of dioecy in this clade.