title: Natural haplotypes ofFLMnon-coding sequences fine-tune flowering time in ambient spring temperatures in Arabidopsis.
abstract: Cool ambient temperatures are major cues determining flowering time in spring. The mechanisms promoting or delaying flowering in response to ambient temperature changes are only beginning to be understood. InArabidopsis thaliana,FLOWERING LOCUS M(FLM) regulates flowering in the ambient temperature range andFLMis transcribed and alternatively spliced in a temperature-dependent manner. We identify polymorphic promoter and intronic sequences required forFLMexpression and splicing. In transgenic experiments covering 69% of the available sequence variation in two distinct sites, we show that variation in the abundance of theFLM-ßsplice form strictly correlate (R2= 0.94) with flowering time over an extended vegetative period. TheFLMpolymorphisms lead to changes inFLMexpression (PRO2+) but may also affectFLMintron 1 splicing (INT6+). This information could serve to buffer the anticipated negative effects on agricultural systems and flowering that may occur during climate change.
authors.affiliation: Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3625-3440
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.affiliation: Plant Genome and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nussbaumer
authors.affiliation: Plant Genome and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spannagl
authors.affiliation: Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diener
authors.affiliation: Plant Genome and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus Fx
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Plant Systems Biology, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany.
authors.forename: Claus
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0269-2330
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schwechheimer
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D035264:Flowers / Q000254:growth & development*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D006239:Haplotypes; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C522476:FLM protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins
keywords: <i>a. thaliana</i>; flowering time; natural variation; plant biology; polymorphism