title: Characterization of three VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE3-like (VIL) homologs in wild wheat, Aegilops tauschii Coss.
abstract: Control of flowering time is an adaptive trait of plants for different growth habitats. A vernalization requirement is a major genetic component determining wheat flowering time. Arabidopsis VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE3 (VIN3) and VIN3-like 1 (VIL1) play critical roles in the vernalization pathway of flowering, and three wheat VIL homologs are upregulated by vernalization in einkorn wheat. To study the relationship between vernalization and wheat VIL homologs in Aegilops tauschii, the D-genome progenitor of common wheat, we isolated three cDNAs orthologous to the einkorn wheat VIL genes. The three Ae. tauschii VIL genes showed many single nucleotide polymorphisms including non-synonymous substitutions relative to the einkorn orthologs. In addition, high rates of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions were revealed by intraspecific variation analysis of the AetVIL sequences, suggesting adaptive evolution at the AetVIL loci. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis was conducted to examine the time course of expression of the VIL genes during vernalization. Of the three AetVIL genes, AetVIL2 was upregulated after one week of low-temperature treatment, and its expression pattern was distinct for winter and spring habit accessions. These observations strongly suggest that AetVIL2 is associated with the vernalization-responsive pathway in Ae. tauschii.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatano
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takumi
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D056426:Genetic Loci; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D012621:Seasons; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C516538:VIL1 protein, Arabidopsis