Project description:Arabidopsis ecotypes of Sha and Ler showed differences in tolerance to salinity stress. A previous study indicated that a premature stop codon resulting in a truncated Response to ABA and Salt 1 (RAS1) protein in Sha contributes to the increased salt tolerance relative to Ler ecotype. Sha exhibited higher germination rates and longer roots on MS plate, presumably due to the decreased ABA sensitivity in Sha. More Sha plants also survived in soil after salt treatment with relatively lower electrolyte leakage when compared to Ler. Transcriptome analysis revealed that expression levels of many genes were changed between Sha and Ler ecotypes and by salt treatments. About 500 transcripts were commonly changed by at least one salinity effect and one ecotype effect, and 171 of them were co-regulated by all four comparisons. Transcripts involved in redox, secondary metabolism, auxin metabolism, photosynthesis, cell wall, and protein synthesis were mainly down-regulated by salinity effects, while transposable element genes, microRNA and antisense sequences, histone superfamily genes, and biotic stress related genes were significantly changed by Sha ecotype effects and only slightly by salinity. Several metabolic pathways such as stress, TCA, hormone/lipid/secondary metabolism, redox, development, and GO terms involved in stress, oxidation, and defense response were enriched by both salinity and ecotype effects. Ninety-five highly inducible genes were identified as candidates of RAS1 target genes and the functions involved hormone metabolism, biotic stress, RNA, DNA synthesis, protein metabolism, cell, and microRNA metabolism. All these results indicated that the Sha ecotype was possibly preconditioned to abiotic stress relative to Ler through regulation of signaling pathways and stress responsive gene expression. These comparative transcriptomic and analytical results also confirm the complexity of ABA responses and salt stress tolerance mechanisms, and they suggest additional targets for improving tolerance.

Project description:A major challenge in biology is to identify molecular polymorphisms responsible for variation in complex traits of evolutionary and agricultural interest. Using the advantages of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model species, we sought to identify new genes and genetic mechanisms underlying natural variation for shoot growth using quantitative genetic strategies. More quantitative trait loci (QTL) still need be resolved to draw a general picture as to how and where in the pathways adaptation is shaping natural variation and the type of molecular variation involved. Phenotypic variation for shoot growth in the Bur-0 x Col-0 recombinant inbred line set was decomposed into several QTLs. Nearly-isogenic lines generated from the residual heterozygosity segregating among lines revealed an even more complex picture, with major variation controlled by opposite linked loci and masked by the segregation bias due to the defective phenotype of SG3 (Shoot Growth-3), as well as epistasis with SG3i (SG3-interactor). Using principally a fine-mapping strategy, we have identified the underlying gene causing phenotypic variation at SG3: At4g30720 codes for a new chloroplast-located protein essential to ensure a correct electron flow through the photosynthetic chain and, hence, photosynthesis efficiency and normal growth. The SG3/SG3i interaction is the result of a structural polymorphism originating from the duplication of the gene followed by divergent paralogue's loss between parental accessions. Species-wide, our results illustrate the very dynamic rate of duplication/transposition, even over short periods of time, resulting in several divergent--but still functional-combinations of alleles fixed in different backgrounds. In predominantly selfing species like Arabidopsis, this variation remains hidden in wild populations but is potentially revealed when divergent individuals outcross. This work highlights the need for improved tools and algorithms to resolve structural variation polymorphisms using high-throughput sequencing, because it remains challenging to distinguish allelic from paralogous variation at this scale.

Project description:Arabidopsis ecotypes of Sha and Ler showed differences in tolerance to salinity stress. A previous study indicated that a premature stop codon resulting in a truncated Response to ABA and Salt 1 (RAS1) protein in Sha contributes to the increased salt tolerance relative to Ler ecotype. Sha exhibited higher germination rates and longer roots on MS plate, presumably due to the decreased ABA sensitivity in Sha. More Sha plants also survived in soil after salt treatment with relatively lower electrolyte leakage when compared to Ler. Transcriptome analysis revealed that expression levels of many genes were changed between Sha and Ler ecotypes and by salt treatments. About 500 transcripts were commonly changed by at least one salinity effect and one ecotype effect, and 171 of them were co-regulated by all four comparisons. Transcripts involved in redox, secondary metabolism, auxin metabolism, photosynthesis, cell wall, and protein synthesis were mainly down-regulated by salinity effects, while transposable element genes, microRNA and antisense sequences, histone superfamily genes, and biotic stress related genes were significantly changed by Sha ecotype effects and only slightly by salinity. Several metabolic pathways such as stress, TCA, hormone/lipid/secondary metabolism, redox, development, and GO terms involved in stress, oxidation, and defense response were enriched by both salinity and ecotype effects. Ninety-five highly inducible genes were identified as candidates of RAS1 target genes and the functions involved hormone metabolism, biotic stress, RNA, DNA synthesis, protein metabolism, cell, and microRNA metabolism. All these results indicated that the Sha ecotype was possibly preconditioned to abiotic stress relative to Ler through regulation of signaling pathways and stress responsive gene expression. These comparative transcriptomic and analytical results also confirm the complexity of ABA responses and salt stress tolerance mechanisms, and they suggest additional targets for improving tolerance. Ten days old seedlings of two Arabidopsis ecotypes, Sha and Ler, were treated with 100 mM NaCl on MS plate. Plant materials were collected for RNA extraction at 4th days after treatments.

Dataset Information

Natural variation in stress response gene activity in the allopolyploid Arabidopsis suecica.

Publications

Natural variation in stress response gene activity in the allopolyploid Arabidopsis suecica.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure