title: Splicing-related genes are alternatively spliced upon changes in ambient temperatures in plants.
abstract: Plants adjust their development and architecture to small variations in ambient temperature. In a time in which temperatures are rising world-wide, the mechanism by which plants are able to sense temperature fluctuations and adapt to it, is becoming of special interest. By performing RNA-sequencing on two Arabidopsis accession and one Brassica species exposed to temperature alterations, we showed that alternative splicing is an important mechanism in ambient temperature sensing and adaptation. We found that amongst the differentially alternatively spliced genes, splicing related genes are enriched, suggesting that the splicing machinery itself is targeted for alternative splicing when temperature changes. Moreover, we showed that many different components of the splicing machinery are targeted for ambient temperature regulated alternative splicing. Mutant analysis of a splicing related gene that was differentially spliced in two of the genotypes showed an altered flowering time response to different temperatures. We propose a two-step mechanism where temperature directly influences alternative splicing of the splicing machinery genes, followed by a second step where the altered splicing machinery affects splicing of downstream genes involved in the adaptation to altered temperatures.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verhage
authors.affiliation: Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany.
authors.forename: Edouard I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Severing
authors.affiliation: Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bucher
authors.affiliation: Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lammers
authors.affiliation: Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busscher-Lange
authors.affiliation: Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Guusje
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bonnema
authors.affiliation: Molecular Plant Physiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rodenburg
authors.affiliation: Molecular Plant Physiology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University, CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcel C G
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Proveniers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerco C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Angenent
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.|Bioscience, Wageningen Plant Research, Wageningen University and Research, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Richard G H
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0182-4138
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Immink
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001937:Brassica / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C114425:CCA1 protein, Arabidopsis; C522476:FLM protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; C523308:PRR7 protein, Arabidopsis; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors