Transcriptional network controlling flowering time in brassicaceae? Meeting on Advances and Challenges of RNA-seq Analysis

MATEOS, JULIETA LISA; VELIKKAKAM, GEO; COUPLAND, GEORGE

Halle

Workshop; Meeting of Advances and Challenges of RNA-Seq Analysis; 2012

The transition to flowering in plants is driven by a complex pattern of gene expres- sion, regulated by transcription factors (TFs) that recognize cis-regulatory elements in their target genes. The MADS-box TFs FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) are major flowering repressors in the an- nual species Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutations in either or both genes lead to similar developmental defects, yet the molecular mechanism underlying this shared phe- notype is not understood. Using a genome-wide approach combining ChIP and transcriptome profiling we aim to understand the roles of both TFs in flowering. By identifying genes under their control and the corresponding cis-regulatory elements the mechanisms by which they repress flowering of Arabidopsis in a combinatorial manner will be elucidated. Furthermore, we are studying FLC function in the peren- nial species Arabis alpina, a relative of Arabidopsis. RNA-seq analysis highlighted a group of genes controlled by FLC in Arabis. We compared FLC regulated genes in both species and identifying the binding sites of FLC across both genomes is under study. Thus whether evolution between perennial and annual life-histories of these plants involves alterations in the binding sites of and gene regulation by FLC will be determined. The mechanistic and evolutionary approaches will identify the pathways controlled by these two central regulators of flowering.