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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.09.06.556499

Retrotransposon-driven environmental regulation of FLC leads to adaptive response to herbicide

Raingeval, M.·Leduque, B.·Baduel, P.·Edera, A.·Roux, F.·Colot, V.·Quadrana, L.
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Abstract

The mobilization of retrotransposons yields major-effect mutations. Here, we report an adaptive retrotransposon insertion within the first intron of the Arabidopsis floral-repressor locus FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). The insertion-mutation augments the environmental sensitivity of FLC by affecting the balance between coding and non-coding transcript isoforms in response to environmental threads. We show that this balance is modulated epigenetically by DNA methylation and orchestrated by IBM2, a factor involved in the processing of intronic heterochromatin. The stress-sensitive allele of FLC has recently spread across populations subjected to recurrent chemical weeding, and we demonstrate that retrotransposon-driven acceleration of life cycle represents a rapid response to herbicide. Our findings illustrate how retrotransposition can create environmentally-sensitive alleles that facilitate adaptation to anthropogenic disturbances of the environment.

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Raingeval, M., Leduque, B., Baduel, P., Edera, A., Roux, F., Colot, V., Quadrana, L.. 2023-09-07. Retrotransposon-driven environmental regulation of FLC leads to adaptive response to herbicide. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.06.556499

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