title: Major-effect alleles at relatively few loci underlie distinct vernalization and flowering variation in Arabidopsis accessions.
abstract: We have explored the genetic basis of variation in vernalization requirement and response in Arabidopsis accessions, selected on the basis of their phenotypic distinctiveness. Phenotyping of F2 populations in different environments, plus fine mapping, indicated possible causative genes. Our data support the identification of FRI and FLC as candidates for the major-effect QTL underlying variation in vernalization response, and identify a weak FLC allele, caused by a Mutator-like transposon, contributing to flowering time variation in two N. American accessions. They also reveal a number of additional QTL that contribute to flowering time variation after saturating vernalization. One of these was the result of expression variation at the FT locus. Overall, our data suggest that distinct phenotypic variation in the vernalization and flowering response of Arabidopsis accessions is accounted for by variation that has arisen independently at relatively few major-effect loci.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, England, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strange
authors.forename: Peijin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lister
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Norman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Warthmann
authors.forename: Chikako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nordborg
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C418902:At5g10140 protein, Arabidopsis; C414613:FRI protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger