title: Conservation and divergence of gene expression plasticity following c. 140 million years of evolution in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and interior spruce (Picea glauca×Picea engelmannii).
abstract: Species respond to environmental stress through a combination of genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, both of which may be important for survival in the face of climatic change. By characterizing the molecular basis of plastic responses and comparing patterns among species, it is possible to identify how such traits evolve. Here, we used de novo transcriptome assembly and RNAseq to explore how patterns of gene expression differ in response to temperature, moisture, and light regime treatments in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and interior spruce (a natural hybrid population of Picea glauca and Picea engelmannii). We found wide evidence for an effect of treatment on expression within each species, with 6413 and 11,658 differentially expressed genes identified in spruce and pine, respectively. Comparing patterns of expression among these species, we found that 74% of all orthologs with differential expression had a pattern that was conserved in both species, despite 140 million yr of evolution. We also found that the specific treatments driving expression patterns differed between genes with conserved versus diverged patterns of expression. We conclude that natural selection has probably played a role in shaping plastic responses to environment in these species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, 6270 University Blvd, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.|Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yeaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, 6270 University Blvd, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.|Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.|School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Building 18, Melbourne, Vic., 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathryn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hodgins
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 304 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.|Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Haktan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suren
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Nurkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, 6270 University Blvd, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Loren H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Rieseberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 304 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Holliday
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Sally N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Aitken
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000235:genetics; D005075:Biological Evolution; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D063990:Gene Ontology; D028222:Picea / Q000235:genetics*; D028223:Pinus / Q000235:genetics*; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Engelmann spruce; RNAseq; climate; divergence; gene expression; lodgepole pine; plasticity; white spruce
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