{
  "id": 5484518,
  "title": "Ancient tandem duplication of CYCLOIDEA is associated with the evolution of capitulum development in Asteraceae",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/ancient-tandem-duplication-of-cycloidea-is-associated-with-the",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-03T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.30.748160v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asteraceae, a large and diverse family of flowering plants, owes much of its evolutionary success to a unique inflorescence structure known as the capitulum. The genetic mechanisms behind the diversification of this capitulum structure, however, have been difficult to pin down. To shed light on this, researchers analyzed genomic data from 35 Asteraceae genomes alongside transcriptomic data from the development of ray and disc florets.\n\nTheir findings revealed a deeply conserved set of five CYC2 genes in a tandem cluster that is widespread across the Asteraceae family. This particular cluster is believed to have originated during the early stages of Asteraceae's evolutionary diversification. Over time, selective gene retention and loss events have altered the cluster's composition among different Asteraceae lineages.\n\nInterestingly, the key players in this cluster, specifically CYC2c, CYC2d, and CYC2g, are more likely to be retained in lineages that produce ray florets. This temporal expression pattern aligns with their role in regulating ray floret development. In summary, the study establishes a direct link between the genetic divergence of the CYC2 tandem cluster and the morphological evolution of Asteraceae, providing insights into the plant's evolutionary success.",
  "summary": "Asteraceae is one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants. Much of their evolutionary success is attributed to their unique inflorescence structure-the capitulum. Despite their profound adaptive and taxonomic significance, the evolutionary genetic mechanisms underlying Asteraceae capitulum diversification remains poorly understood. We integrated comparative genomic analyses…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}