Splicing-related genes are alternatively spliced upon changes in ambient temperatures in plants

• Published in: PloS one 2017-03, Vol.12 (3), p.e0172950-e0172950
• Main Authors: Verhage, Leonie, Severing, Edouard I, Bucher, Johan, Lammers, Michiel, Busscher-Lange, Jacqueline, Bonnema, Guusje, Rodenburg, Nicole, Proveniers, Marcel C G, Angenent, Gerco C, Immink, Richard G H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation; Adaptation, Physiological; Alternative Splicing; Ambient temperature; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - growth & development; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; Bioinformatics; Biology and Life Sciences; BIOS Plant Development Systems; Brassica; Brassica - genetics; Brassica - growth & development; Circadian rhythm; Consortia; Cyclin-dependent kinases; EPS; Flowering; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genome, Plant; Genotypes; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Kinases; Laboratories; Laboratorium voor Plantenfysiologie; Laboratorium voor Plantenveredeling; Laboratory of Plant Breeding; Laboratory of Plant Physiology; Machinery and equipment; MADS Domain Proteins - genetics; MADS Domain Proteins - metabolism; Molecular biology; Ontology; PBR Breeding for growth and development; PBR Groei & Ontwikkeling; Physiology; Plant Breeding; Plants (Organisms); PRI BIOS Plant Development Systems; Proteins; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Research and Analysis Methods; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA polymerase; RNA splicing; Studies; Temperature; Temperature changes; Temperature effects; Temperature fluctuations; Time response; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; WUR PB Groei & Ontwikkeling
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172950

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.