Panter, P. E. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Circadian entrainment to environmental cues in a natural plant population

Circadian clocks coordinate physiology, development and behaviour with cycles of day and night, which contributes to organismal fitness. For this to occur, the circadian clock must be aligned with the natural daily fluctuations in the environmental conditions. Here, we investigated under natural conditions the role of environmental cues in adjusting the circadian clock, and how this affects clock outputs. By combining novel field-based experimentation in a natural plant population with genome-wide analysis and machine-learning strategies for data interpretation, we inferred that temperature cues change circadian timing under natural conditions. We inferred that low temperature cues can shift circadian phase under naturally fluctuating conditions, and that there are seasonal changes in the effects of temperature upon circadian entrainment. We also identified extensive circadian modulation of temperature responses under field conditions. Therefore, plasticity of circadian timing under natural conditions allows flexible responses of both the clock and its outputs to environmental stimuli.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Rapid and dynamic alternative splicing impacts the Arabidopsis cold response transcriptome

BackgroundPlants have adapted to tolerate and survive constantly changing environmental conditions by re-programming gene expression. The scale of the contribution of alternative splicing (AS) to stress responses has been underestimated due to limitations in RNA-seq analysis programs and poor representation of AS transcripts in plant databases. Significantly, the dynamics of the AS response have not been investigated but this is now possible with accurate transcript quantification programs and AtRTD2, a new, comprehensive transcriptome for Arabidopsis.\n\nResultsUsing ultra-deep RNA-sequencing of a time-course of Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to cold treatment, we identified 8,949 genes with altered expression of which 2,442 showed significant differential alternative splicing (DAS) and 1,647 genes were regulated only at the level of AS (DAS-only). The high temporal resolution demonstrated the rapid induction of both transcription and AS resulting in coincident waves of differential expression (transcription) and differential alternative splicing in the first 6-9 hours of cold. The differentially expressed and DAS gene sets were largely non-overlapping, each comprising thousands of genes. The dynamic analysis of AS identified genes with rapid and sensitive AS within 3 h of transfer to the cold (early AS genes), which were enriched for splicing and transcription factors. A detailed investigation of the novel cold-response DAS-only gene, U2B\"-LIKE, suggested that it regulates AS and is required for tolerance to freezing.\n\nConclusionsOur data indicate that transcription and AS are the major regulators of transcriptome reprogramming that together govern the physiological and survival responses of plants to low temperature.

genomics↗