Signals of speciation within Arabidopsis thaliana in comparison with its relatives

Postglacial ecotype formation under outcrossing and self-fertilization in Arabidopsis lyrata

The formation of ecotypes has been invoked as an important driver of postglacial biodiversity, because many species colonized heterogeneous habitats and experienced divergent selection. Ecotype formation has been predominantly studied in outcrossing taxa, while far less attention has been paid to the implications of mating system shifts. Here, we addressed whether substrate-related ecotypes exist in selfing and outcrossing populations of Arabidopsis lyrata subsp. lyrata and whether the genomic footprint differs between mating systems. The North American subspecies colonized both rocky and sandy habitats during postglacial range expansion and shifted the mating system from predominantly outcrossing to predominantly selfing in a number of regions. We performed an association study on pooled whole-genome sequence data of 20 selfing or outcrossing populations, which suggested genes involved in adaptation to substrate. Motivated by enriched gene ontology terms, we compared root growth between plants from the two substrates in a common environment and found that plants originating from sand grew roots faster and produced more side roots, independent of mating system. Furthermore, single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with substrate-related ecotypes were more clustered among selfing populations. Our study provides evidence for substrate-related ecotypes in A. lyrata and divergence in the genomic footprint between mating systems. The latter is the likely result of selfing populations having experienced divergent selection on larger genomic regions due to higher genome-wide linkage disequilibrium.

Arabidopsis thaliana natural variation reveals connections between UV radiation stress and plant pathogen-like defense responses

UV radiation is a ubiquitous component of solar radiation that affects plant growth and development. Here we studied growth related traits of 345 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in response to UV radiation stress. We analyzed the genetic basis of this natural variation by genome-wide association studies, which suggested a specific candidate genomic region. RNA-sequencing of three sensitive and three resistant accessions combined with mutant analysis revealed five large effect genes. Mutations in PHE ammonia lyase 1 (PAL1) and putative kinase At1g76360 rendered Arabidopsis hypersensitive to UV stress, while loss of function from putative methyltransferase At4g22530, novel plant snare 12 (NPSN12) and defense gene activated disease resistance 2 (ADR2) conferred higher UV stress resistance. Three sensitive accessions showed strong ADR2 transcriptional activation, accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) and dwarf growth upon UV stress, while these phenotypes were much less affected in resistant plants. The phenotype of sensitive accessions resembles autoimmune reactions due to overexpression of defense related genes, and suggests that natural variation in response to UV radiation stress is driven by pathogen-like responses in Arabidopsis.

Hidden genetic nature of epigenetic natural variation in plants

Transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) is an epigenetic mechanism that suppresses the activity of repetitive DNA elements via accumulation of repressive chromatin marks. We discuss natural variation in TGS, with a particular focus on cases that affect the function of protein-coding genes and lead to developmental or physiological changes. Comparison of the examples described has revealed that most natural variation is associated with genetic determinants, such as gene rearrangements, inverted repeats, and transposon insertions that triggered TGS. Recent technical advances have enabled the study of epigenetic natural variation at a whole-genome scale and revealed patterns of inter- and intraspecific epigenetic variation. Future studies exploring non-model species may reveal species-specific evolutionary adaptations at the level of chromatin configuration.