Lessons from Cleomaceae, the Sister fo Crucifers

Cleomaceae is a diverse group well-suited to addressing fundamental genomic
and evolutionary questions as the sister group to Brassicaceae, facilitating
transfer of knowledge from the model Arabidopsis thaliana. Phylogenetic and
taxonomic revisions provide a framework for examining the evolution of substantive morphological and physiology diversity in Cleomaceae, but not necessarily in Brassicaceae. The investigation of both nested and contrasting
whole-genome duplications (WGDs) between Cleomaceae and Brassicaceae
allows comparisons of independently duplicated genes and investigation of
whether they may be drivers of the observed innovations. Further, a wealth of
outstanding genetic research has provided insight into how the important
alternative carbon fixation pathway, C4 photosynthesis, has evolved via differential expression of a suite of genes, of which the underlying mechanisms are being elucidated.