Environmental memory: transgenerational regulation of developmental transitions in Arabidopsis

AUTHIER AILEN; AUGE GABRIELA

Mendoza

Congreso; ALAG 2019; 2019

Asociación Latinoamericana de Genética

Plants perceive and respond to environmental changes and can transfer that environmental information to their progeny. Key developmental processes such as germination and flowering can be influenced by the current environmental conditions of a certain individual, as well as those experienced by previous generations. Understanding the mechanisms by which plants can transfer this environmental memory to their progeny is critical to interpret their adaptive value. Transgenerational regulation of stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana plants is associated with the function of Dicer-like 2 (DCL2), DCL3 and DCL4 genes, involved in non-coding small RNA synthesis, and with DNA methylation frequency changes inherited by the progeny. These suggest that the RNA-directed DNA-methylation pathway (RdDM) would be involved in the control of progeny responses to the maternal environment. In this work we aim to shed light on the role of the RdDM pathway in the transgenerational control of progeny responses (seed provision and germination). Using Arabidopsis null mutants of diverse genes involved in the RdDM pathway?dcl234, ago4-1, rdr2, rdr6, nrpdk2 and rdd in Columbia background?we study how non-stressing temperature changes during the mother plant life cycle influence progeny development.Our results show that germination of the mutants differ from the wild type depending on the maternal environment, which involves the RdDM pathway in the regulation of transgenerational responses in plants to seasonal changes.