Transposable Elements Contribute to the Adaptation of Arabidopsis thaliana

Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements with very high mutation rates that play important roles in shaping genome architecture and regulating phenotypic variation. However, the extent to which TEs influence the adaptation of organisms in their natural habitats is largely unknown. Her...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genome biology and evolution 2018-08, Vol.10 (8), p.2140-2150
Main Authors: Li, Zi-Wen, Hou, Xing-Hui, Chen, Jia-Fu, Xu, Yong-Chao, Wu, Qiong, González, Josefa, Guo, Ya-Long
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Physiological
Arabidopsis - classification
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - physiology
DNA Transposable Elements
Evolution, Molecular
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Summary:Transposable elements (TEs) are mobile genetic elements with very high mutation rates that play important roles in shaping genome architecture and regulating phenotypic variation. However, the extent to which TEs influence the adaptation of organisms in their natural habitats is largely unknown. Here, we scanned 201 representative resequenced genomes from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and identified 2,311 polymorphic TEs from noncentromeric regions. We found expansion and contraction of different types of TEs in different A. thaliana populations. More importantly, we identified two TE insertions that are likely candidates to play a role in adaptive evolution. Our results highlight the importance of variations in TEs for the adaptation of plants in general in the context of rapid global climate change.
ISSN:1759-6653
1759-6653
DOI:10.1093/gbe/evy171