Fine-tuning timing: natural variation informs the mechanistic basis of the switch to flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

The evolution of diverse life history strategies has allowed Arabidopsis thaliana to adapt to worldwide locations, spanning a range of latitudinal and environmental conditions. Arabidopsis thaliana accessions are either vernalization-requiring winter annuals or rapid cyclers, with extensive natural variation in vernalization requirement and response. Genetic and molecular analysis of this variation has enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms involved in life history determination, with translation to both natural and crop systems in the Brassicaceae and beyond.

Arabidopsis YAF9 histone readers modulate flowering time through NuA4‐complex‐dependent H4 and H2A.Z histone acetylation at FLC chromatin

“…The right timing of this developmental switch relative to optimal seasons for growth and reproduction is crucial to determine the reproductive success and fitness of plant species (Amasino, 2010;Andres & Coupland, 2012). For this reason plants fine tune the time of flowering initiation at multiple levels (Bloomer & Dean, 2017), ensuring that the production of flowers and fruits takes place under the most favourable conditions. Arabidopsis thaliana is an annual facultative long-day (LD) species that perceives photoperiod cues in its leaves using circadian clock-associated mechanisms (Song et al, 2015).…”

“…Arabidopsis thaliana is an annual facultative long-day (LD) species that perceives photoperiod cues in its leaves using circadian clock-associated mechanisms (Song et al, 2015). In winter annuals, the vernalisation pathway mediates the flowering induction by prolonged exposure to low nonfreezing temperatures, preventing early flowering in the autumn (Bloomer & Dean, 2017;Whittaker & Dean, 2017). Vernalisation requirement relies on dominant alleles at the FRIGIDA (FRI ) (Johanson et al, 2000) and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) loci (Michaels & Amasino, 1999).…”

“…FRI promotes the transcriptional activation of FLC, increasing its expression to levels that confer delayed flowering (Michaels & Amasino, 1999;Johanson et al, 2000;Crevill en & Dean, 2011). The molecular mechanism underlying vernalisation mainly involves downregulation of FLC (Amasino, 2010;Bloomer & Dean, 2017), which encodes a MADS-box transcription factor that delays flowering (Michaels & Amasino, 1999) through repression of a set of floral activators, including FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) (Lee et al, 2000) among others.…”

Functional Analysis of FRIGIDA Using Naturally Occurring Variation inArabidopsis thaliana

“…Natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana have evolved different life history strategies to ensure reproduction in a diverse range of environmental conditions (Bloomer and Dean, 2017).…”

Circadian diversity in SwedishArabidopsisaccessions is associated with naturally occurring genetic variation inCOR28

“…At the solstice, there is almost 3 hours difference in day-length between the North and South. This divergence of climate has led to selection for ecotypes with adapted growth and flowering strategies(31,32). Analysis of the global population structure of Arabidopsis accessions has previously identified Swedish accessions as being genetically distinct from the wider population, with further differentiation within the country between North and South(33–36).…”