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1. Evolution of Leaf Fusion in Honeysuckle ( Periclymenum , Lonicera )

   https://doi.org/10.1086/715638  

   Zhang, Linda ; Clement, Wendy L. ( October 2021 , International Journal of Plant Sciences)

   null (Ed.)
2. Enhancing the Antiaromaticity of s -Indacene through Naphthothiophene Fusion

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.1c01514  

   Warren, Gabrielle I. ; Barker, Joshua E. ; Zakharov, Lev N. ; Haley, Michael M. ( July 2021 , Organic Letters)
3. Convex clustering via l 1 fusion penalization

   https://doi.org/10.1111/rssb.12226  

   Radchenko, Peter ; Mukherjee, Gourab ( November 2017 , Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (Statistical Methodology))
4. Genotypic variability following fusion in the invasive colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ivb.12263  

   Weinberg, Rachel Beth ; Clancy, Darragh Lillian ; Cohen, C. Sarah ( September 2019 , Invertebrate Biology)

   Fusion to form a chimera has been documented in many marine invertebrate taxa, including poriferans, cnidarians, bryozoans, and colonial ascidians. Allogenic interactions in chimeric ascidian colonies vary widely across taxonomic groups but are poorly characterized in the invasive colonial ascidianDidemnum vexillum.The moderate level of discrimination expressed in the fusion–rejection response ofD. vexillumsuggests that there is some integration of cells beyond the fusion line in a chimeric colony. We tracked the shifts in representation of microsatellite alleles between fused colonies ofD. vexillumto elucidate the extent of genotypic integration in fused colonies and the patterns of changes to the genotypic composition of colonies immediately following chimera formation. By genotyping colonies before and after fusion, we found that allogeneic fusion inD. vexillummay lead to genotypic changes beyond the visible fusion line. Alleles from one colony were found in multiple tissue samples in the chimera 7–10 days after fusion had occurred. In some instances, alleles that were in a single colony prior to fusion were lost following fusion. We observed multiple patterns of allelic change, including both the unidirectional transfer and reciprocal exchange of alleles between fused colonies. Our findings suggest that tissue or cells are exchanged following allogeneic fusion between colonies ofD. vexillumand that the genotypic composition of chimeric colonies may be fluid.

    

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5. A phylogenomic analysis of Lonicera and its bearing on the evolution of organ fusion

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16143  

   Srivastav, Mansa ; Clement, Wendy L. ; Landrein, Sven ; Zhang, Jingbo ; Howarth, Dianella G. ; Donoghue, Michael J. ( April 2023 , American Journal of Botany)

   The ~140 species ofLoniceraare characterized by variously fused leaves, bracteoles, and ovaries, making it a model system for studying the evolution and development of organ fusion. However, previous phylogenetic analyses, based mainly on chloroplast DNA markers, have yielded uncertain and conflicting results. A well‐supported phylogeny ofLonicerawill allow us to trace the evolutionary history of organ fusion.

   We inferred the phylogeny ofLonicerausing restriction site–associated DNA sequencing (RADSeq), sampling all major clades and 18 of the 23 subsections. This provided the basis for inferring the evolution of five fusion‐related traits.

   RADSeq data yielded a well‐resolved and well‐supported phylogeny. The two traditionally recognized subgenera (PericlymenumandChamaecerasus), three of the four sections (Isoxylosteum,Coeloxylosteum, andNintooa), and half of the subsections sampled were recovered as monophyletic. However, the large and heterogeneous sectionIsikawas strongly supported as paraphyletic.Nintooa, a clade of ~22 mostly vine‐forming species, includingL. japonica, was recovered in a novel position, raising the possibility of cytonuclear discordance. We document the parallel evolution of fused leaves, bracteoles, and ovaries, with rare reversals. Most strikingly, complete cupules, in which four fused bracteoles completely enclose two unfused ovaries, arose at least three times. Surprisingly, these appear to have evolved directly from ancestors with free bracteoles instead of partial cupules.

   We provide the most comprehensive and well‐supported phylogeny ofLonicerato date. Our inference of multiple evolutionary shifts in organ fusion provides a solid foundation for in depth developmental and functional analyses.

    

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