Annual transcriptome dynamics in natural environments reveals plant seasonal adaptation

First author: Atsushi J. Nagano; Affiliations: Kyoto University (京都大学): Otsu, Japan

Corresponding author: Hiroshi Kudoh

As most organisms have evolved in seasonal environments, their environmental responses should be adapted to seasonal transitions. Here we show that the combination of temperature and day length shapes the seasonal dynamics of the transcriptome and adaptation to seasonal environments in a natural habitat of a perennial plant Arabidopsis halleri subsp. gemmifera. Weekly transcriptomes for two years and bihourly diurnal transcriptomes on the four equinoxes/solstices (分/至点), identified 2,879 and 7,185 seasonally- and diurnally-oscillating genes, respectively. Dominance of annual temperature changes for defining seasonal oscillations of gene expressions was indicated by controlled environment experiments manipulating the natural 1.5-month lag of temperature behind day length. We found that plants have higher fitness in ‘natural’ chambers than in ‘unnatural’ chambers simulating in-phase and anti-phase oscillations between temperature and day length. Seasonal temperature responses were disturbed in unnatural chambers. Our results demonstrate how plants use multiple types of environmental information to adapt to seasonal environments.

大多数生物在演化过程中会经历季节性的环境变化，因此这些生物本身对于环境的响应肯定已经适应了季节转变。本文的研究显示温度和日长的组合塑造了一个多年生植物叶芽鼠耳芥自然群体的季节转录组动态变化及对于季节环境的适应。作者在两年内每周收集一次样本，并在4个分至点（即春分点、夏至点、秋分点和冬至点）48个小时（2个昼夜）每两个小时收集一次样本，转录组分析分别鉴定了2879个季节性和7185个昼夜来回波动的基因。作者通过环境控制试验使得温度变化滞后于日长变化1.5个月，结果发现年温度的变化决定了基因表达的季节性来回波动。作者发现植物在模拟温度和日长之间同相波动的“自然”生长室中要比模拟温度和日长之间反相波动的“非自然”生长室中具有更高的适应性。在“非自然”生长室中，植株的季节性温度响应遭到了干扰。本文的研究揭示了植物是如何通过多个类型环境信号来适应季节环境变化的。

通讯：Hiroshi Kudoh (http://www.ecology.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~kudoh/en/index.html)

研究方向：植物适应环境和多样化的生态过程。

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0338-z

Journal: Nature Plants

Published date: 07 January, 2019