Mechanistic and evolutionary analysis of the natural variation in Arabidopsis vernalization response

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Our aim will be to understand how molecular variation in the gene encoding the floral repressor, FLC, perturbs the chromatin silencing mechanism underlying vernalization in Arabidopsis natural variants collected from diverse habitats. Mix and match versions of the floral repressor gene FLC will be analysed to identify the causative polymorphism and molecular basis of the altered silencing. At first we will focus on the FLC allele from a N. Swedish accession Lov-1, which is particularly insensitive to 4 weeks cold. We will then analyse FLC alleles from two S. Swedish accessions Ull-2-5 and Var-2-6 in order to explore whether they evolved independently. To extend this analysis even further we will use an association analysis. FLC genomic sequence will be compared with FLC expression dynamics in cold and post-cold conditions in a well-characterized and genotyped, world-wide set of Arabidopsis accessions. Polymorphism likely to be contributing major effects to the variation will be tested through a site-directed mutagenesis strategy aiming to recreate the phenotypic behaviour of the different alleles in transgenic plants. Knowledge of the different causative polymorphism and the overall genetic architecture of FLC will shed light on the evolutionary history of FLC. Lastly, we will undertake controlled environment room reciprocal transplant experiments to ask if the variation in vernalization and FLC contributes to adaptation of these accessions. This analysis will complement two field studies funded from elsewhere.

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