Natural variation in plant telomere length is associated with flowering time

第一作者：Jae Young Choi

第一单位：纽约大学

通讯作者：Michael D Purugganan

 Abstract 

背景回顾：Telomeres are highly repetitive DNA sequences found at the ends of chromosomes that protect the chromosomes from deterioration during cell division.

主要研究：Here, using whole genome re-sequencing and terminal restriction fragment assays, we found substantial natural intraspecific variation in telomere length in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice (Oryza sativa), and maize (Zea mays).

结果1-GWAS：Genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping in A. thaliana identified 13 regions with GWAS-significant associations underlying telomere length variation, including a region that harbors the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene.

结果2-TERT region：Population genomic analysis provided evidence for a selective sweep at the TERT region associated with longer telomeres.

结果3-端粒长度与开花时间：We found that telomere length is negatively correlated with flowering time variation not only in A. thaliana, but also in maize and rice, indicating a link between life history traits and chromosome integrity.

可能的解释：Our results point to several possible reasons for this correlation, including the possibility that longer telomeres may be more adaptive in plants that have faster developmental rates (and therefore flower earlier).

结论：Our work suggests that chromosomal structure itself might be an adaptive trait associated with plant life history strategies.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab022

Journal: Plant Cell

Published date: Jan 28, 2021