title: Noise-plasticity correlations of gene expression in the multicellular organism Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Gene expression levels exhibit stochastic variations among genetically identical organisms under the same environmental conditions (called gene expression "noise" or phenotype "fluctuation"). In yeast and Escherichia coli, positive correlations have been found between such gene expression noise and "plasticity" with environmental variations. To determine the universality of such correlations in both unicellular and multicellular organisms, we focused on the relationships between gene expression "noise" and "plasticity" in Arabidopsis thaliana, a multicellular model organism. In recent studies on yeast and E. coli, only some gene groups with specific properties of promoter architecture, average expression levels, and functions exhibited strong noise-plasticity correlations. However, we found strong noise-plasticity correlations for most gene groups in Arabidopsis; additionally, promoter architecture, functional essentiality of genes, and circadian rhythm appeared to have only a weak influence on the correlation strength. The differences in the characteristics of noise-plasticity correlations may result from three-dimensional chromosomal structures and/or circadian rhythm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: Koudai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirao
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ryukoku University, Yokatani 1-5, Seta, Ohe-cho, Otsu-shi, Shiga 520-2194, Japan; Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Hirano 509-3-2 Otsu, Shiga 520-2113, Japan; JST PRESTO, Honcho 4-1-8, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan; Research Center for Mathematics on Chromatin Live Dynamics, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama 1-3-1, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Awazu
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Gene expression noise; Gene expression plasticity; Multicellular organism; Noise–plasticity correlation