Dataset Information

Contribution of major FLM isoforms to temperature-dependent flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM), a component of the thermosensory flowering time pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana, is regulated by temperature-dependent alternative splicing (AS). The main splicing variant, FLM-?, is a well-documented floral repressor that is down-regulated in response to increasing ambient growth temperature. Two hypotheses have been formulated to explain how flowering time is modulated by AS of FLM. In the first model a second splice variant, FLM-?, acts as a dominant negative isoform that competes with FLM-? at elevated ambient temperatures, thereby indirectly promoting flowering. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the induction of flowering at elevated temperatures is caused only by reduced FLM-? expression. To better understand the role of the two FLM splice forms, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to specifically delete the exons that characterize each splice variant. Lines that produced repressive FLM-? but were incapable of producing FLM-? were late flowering. In contrast, FLM-? knockout lines that still produced FLM-? flowered early, but not earlier than the flm-3 loss of function mutant, as would be expected if FLM-? had a dominant-negative effect on flowering. Our data support the role of FLM-? as a flower repressor and provide evidence that a contribution of FLM-? to the regulation of flowering time in wild-type A. thaliana seems unlikely.

SUBMITTER: Capovilla G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5853260 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Contribution of major FLM isoforms to temperature-dependent flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Capovilla Giovanna G Symeonidi Efthymia E Wu Rui R Schmid Markus M

Journal of experimental botany 20171101 18

FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM), a component of the thermosensory flowering time pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana, is regulated by temperature-dependent alternative splicing (AS). The main splicing variant, FLM-β, is a well-documented floral repressor that is down-regulated in response to increasing ambient growth temperature. Two hypotheses have been formulated to explain how flowering time is modulated by AS of FLM. In the first model a second splice variant, FLM-δ, acts as a dominant negative isoform ...[more]

PMID: 29036339

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Project description:Leaves are thought to be the primary carbon source for reproduction in plants, so a positive relationship between vegetative size and reproductive output is expected, establishing a trade-off between time to reproduction and reproductive output. A common response to higher temperatures due to climate changes is the induction of earlier transition into reproduction. Thus, in annual plants, earlier transition into flowering can potentially constrain plant size and reduce seed production. However, trade-offs between early reproduction and fitness are not always observed, suggesting mechanisms to escape the constraints of early flowering do exist. Here, we test whether inflorescence photosynthesis contribution to the reproductive output of Arabidopsis thaliana can offset the cost of early reproduction. We followed the development, growth rate and fitness of 15 accessions, and removed all rosette leaves at flowering (prior to the completion of inflorescence development or any fruit production) in half of the plants to determine the ability of inflorescences to maintain fitness in the absence of leaves. Although leaf removal significantly reduced fruit number, seed weight and plant height, even the most severely impacted accessions maintained 35% of their fitness with the inflorescence as the sole photosynthetic organ; and some accessions experienced no reduction in fitness. Differences between accessions in their ability to maintain fitness after leaf removal is best explained by earlier flowering time and the ability to maintain as many or more branches after leaf removal as in the control treatment. Although earlier flowering does constrain plant vegetative size, we found that inflorescence photosynthesis can significantly contribute to seed production, explaining why early flowering plants can maintain high fitness despite a reduction in vegetative size. Thus, plants can be released from the usually assumed trade-offs associated with earlier reproduction, and selection on inflorescence traits can mediate the impact of climate change on phenology.

Dataset Information

Contribution of major FLM isoforms to temperature-dependent flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Publications

Contribution of major FLM isoforms to temperature-dependent flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Similar Datasets

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