How Arabidopsis thaliana Became Self-Fertile
Author Information
Author(s): Nathan A. Boggs, June B. Nasrallah, Mikhail E. Nasrallah, Gregory P. Copenhaver
Primary Institution: Cornell University
Hypothesis
How many times and in what manner did the switch to self-fertility occur in the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage?
Conclusion
The transition to inbreeding in Arabidopsis thaliana occurred through at least two independent S-locus mutations.
Supporting Evidence
- Four accessions were identified that reverted to full self-incompatibility by transformation with S-locus genes.
- Analysis of S-haplotype organization revealed inter-haplotypic recombination events.
- QTL analysis identified modifier loci associated with self-fertility in the Col-0 reference accession.
Takeaway
Scientists studied a plant called Arabidopsis thaliana to understand how it changed from needing a partner to reproduce to being able to do it by itself. They found that this change happened more than once in its history.
Methodology
The study involved transforming Arabidopsis thaliana accessions with S-locus genes from A. lyrata and performing QTL analysis to identify modifier loci associated with self-fertility.
Limitations
The study does not conclusively determine the exact nature of the mutations that led to self-fertility in all accessions.
Participant Demographics
The study involved various accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana from different geographical regions.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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