WashU biologist Joe Jez and his lab contributed to a major study published in Science that helps uncover the evolutionary origins of grasses, one of the world’s most important plant families.

The research examined how key metabolic innovations evolved before and during the emergence of grasses, which include staple crops such as rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, and sugarcane.

Using newly sequenced genomes from several close relatives of grasses, a team of scientists including Joe Jez, Spencer T. Olin Professor in Biology and Vice Dean of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences, traced the origins of biological pathways that helped grasses become some of the planet's most successful and economically significant plants. The study revealed how ancient gene duplications aided innovations in starch production and lignin biosynthesis, traits that support the growth, productivity, and resilience of modern grasses.

The Jez Lab provided experimental data that contributed to the mechanistic understanding of a unique lignin biosynthesis pathway that sets grasses apart from other plants. Using x-ray crystallography, postdoc Jae Morris and graduate student Wynne Havranek examined the three-dimensional structures of two enzymes to reveal how subtle changes lead to new metabolic roles that support the evolution of grasses.

Beyond advancing our understanding of plant evolution, these findings could inform future efforts to improve crop production and sustainability.

Read more from the University of Wisconsin here.