Biology subjects

Fernie, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Fernie, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Kingdom-wide comparison reveals conserved diurnal gene expression in Archaeplastida

Plants have adapted to the diurnal light-dark cycle by establishing elaborate transcriptional programs that coordinate innumerable metabolic, physiological, and developmental responses to the external environment. These transcriptional programs have been studied in only a few species, and their function and conservation across algae and plants is currently unknown. We performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of the diurnal cycle of nine members of Archaeplastida, and we observed that, despite large phylogenetic distances and dramatic differences in morphology and lifestyle, diurnal transcriptional programs of these organisms are similar. However, the establishment of multicellularity coincided with the uncoupling of cell division from the diurnal cycle and decreased diurnal control of the expression of the biological pathways. Hence, our study provides evidence for the universality of diurnal gene expression and elucidates its evolutionary history among different photosynthetic eukaryotes.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Vascular brassinosteroid receptors confer drought resistance without penalizing plant growth

Drought represents a major threat to food security. Mechanistic data describing plant responses to drought have been studied extensively and genes conferring drought resistance have been introduced into crop plants. However, plants with enhanced drought resistance usually display lower growth, highlighting the need for strategies to uncouple drought resistance from growth. Here, we show that overexpression of BRL3, a vascular-enriched member of the brassinosteroid receptor family, can confer drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis. Whereas loss-of-function mutations in the ubiquitously expressed BRI1 receptor leads to drought resistance at the expense of growth, overexpression of BRL3 receptor confers drought tolerance without penalizing overall growth. Systematic analyses reveal that upon drought stress, increased BRL3 triggers the accumulation of osmoprotectant metabolites including proline and sugars. Transcriptomic analysis suggests that this results from differential expression of genes in the vascular tissues. Altogether, this data suggests that manipulating BRL3 expression could be used to engineer drought tolerant crops.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Wide sampling of natural diversity identifies novel molecular signatures of C4 photosynthesis

Introductory paragraphMuch of biology is associated with convergent traits, and it is challenging to determine the extent to which underlying molecular mechanisms are shared across phylogeny. By analyzing plants representing eighteen independent origins of C4 photosynthesis, we quantified the extent to which this convergent trait utilises identical molecular mechanisms. We demonstrate that biochemical changes that characterise C4 species are recovered by this process, and expand the paradigm by four metabolic pathways not previously associated with C4 photosynthesis. Furthermore, we show that expression of many genes that distinguish C3 and C4 species respond to low CO2, providing molecular evidence that reduction in atmospheric CO2 was a driver for C4 evolution. Thus the origin and architecture of complex traits can be derived from transcriptome comparisons across natural diversity.

plant biology↗