Natural variation at FLM splicing has pleiotropic effects modulating ecological strategies in Arabidopsis thaliana

Mathieu Hanemian (), François Vasseur, Elodie Marchadier, Elodie Gilbault, Justine Bresson, Isabelle Gy, Cyrille Violle and Olivier Loudet ()
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Mathieu Hanemian: Université Paris-Saclay
François Vasseur: Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Elodie Marchadier: Université Paris-Saclay
Elodie Gilbault: Université Paris-Saclay
Justine Bresson: Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Isabelle Gy: Université Paris-Saclay
Cyrille Violle: Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
Olivier Loudet: Université Paris-Saclay

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Investigating the evolution of complex phenotypes and the underlying molecular bases of their variation is critical to understand how organisms adapt to their environment. Applying classical quantitative genetics on a segregating population derived from a Can-0xCol-0 cross, we identify the MADS-box transcription factor FLOWERING LOCUS M (FLM) as a player of the phenotypic variation in plant growth and color. We show that allelic variation at FLM modulates plant growth strategy along the leaf economics spectrum, a trade-off between resource acquisition and resource conservation, observable across thousands of plant species. Functional differences at FLM rely on a single intronic substitution, disturbing transcript splicing and leading to the accumulation of non-functional FLM transcripts. Associations between this substitution and phenotypic and climatic data across Arabidopsis natural populations, show how noncoding genetic variation at a single gene might be adaptive through pleiotropic effects.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17896-w

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