Natural variation in autumn expression is the major adaptive determinant distinguishing Arabidopsis FLC haplotypes

Hepworth, J. et al. (2020) Natural variation in autumn expression is the major adaptive determinant distinguishing Arabidopsis FLC haplotypes. eLife, 9, e57671. (doi: 10.7554/eLife.57671) (PMID:32902380) (PMCID:PMC7518893)

Abstract

In Arabidopsis thaliana, winter is registered during vernalization through the temperature-dependent repression and epigenetic silencing of floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Natural Arabidopsis accessions show considerable variation in vernalization. However, which aspect of the FLC repression mechanism is most important for adaptation to different environments is unclear. By analysing FLC dynamics in natural variants and mutants throughout winter in three field sites, we find that autumnal FLC expression, rather than epigenetic silencing, is the major variable conferred by the distinct Arabidopsis FLChaplotypes. This variation influences flowering responses of Arabidopsis accessions resulting in an interplay between promotion and delay of flowering in different climates to balance survival and, through a post-vernalization effect, reproductive output. These data reveal how expression variation through non-coding cis variation at FLC has enabled Arabidopsis accessions to adapt to different climatic conditions and year-on-year fluctuations.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: Horizon 2020 Framework Pro- gramme - MEXTIM, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - BB/J004588/1, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - BB/P013511/1, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - BB/P003095/1, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - BB/L016079/1.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Antoniou Kourounioti, Dr Rea Laila

Creator Roles

Antoniou-Kourounioti, R. L.: Data curation, Formal analysis, Supervision, Investigation, Visualization, Writing – original draft

• Authors: Hepworth, J., Antoniou-Kourounioti, R. L., Berggren, K., Selga, C., Tudor, E. H., Yates, B., Cox, D., Rose Collier Harris, B., Irwin, J. A., Howard, M., Säll, T., Holm, S., and Dean, C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Molecular Biosciences
• Journal Name: eLife
• Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications
• ISSN: 2050-084X
• ISSN (Online): 2050-084X
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © Hepworth et al.
• First Published: First published in eLife 9: e57671
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence