Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time
Abstract The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) grows in temperate zones and produces large amounts of poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) in its roots, making it an attractive alternative source of natural rubber. Most T. koksaghyz plants require vernalization to trigger flower development, whereas early f...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54862-8 |
| _version_ | 1797275220625588224 |
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| author | Kai-Uwe Roelfs Andrea Känel Richard M. Twyman Dirk Prüfer Christian Schulze Gronover |
| author_facet | Kai-Uwe Roelfs Andrea Känel Richard M. Twyman Dirk Prüfer Christian Schulze Gronover |
| author_sort | Kai-Uwe Roelfs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) grows in temperate zones and produces large amounts of poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) in its roots, making it an attractive alternative source of natural rubber. Most T. koksaghyz plants require vernalization to trigger flower development, whereas early flowering varieties that have lost their vernalization dependence are more suitable for breeding and domestication. To provide insight into the regulation of flowering time in T. koksaghyz, we induced epigenetic variation by in vitro cultivation and applied epigenomic and transcriptomic analysis to the resulting early flowering plants and late flowering controls, allowing us to identify differences in methylation patterns and gene expression that correlated with flowering. This led to the identification of candidate genes homologous to vernalization and photoperiodism response genes in other plants, as well as epigenetic modifications that may contribute to the control of flower development. Some of the candidate genes were homologous to known floral regulators, including those that directly or indirectly regulate the major flowering control gene FT. Our atlas of genes can be used as a starting point to investigate mechanisms that control flowering time in T. koksaghyz in greater detail and to develop new breeding varieties that are more suited to domestication. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:11:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9293299df4b14f0c86984b4c0a47704f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:11:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-9293299df4b14f0c86984b4c0a47704f2024-03-05T18:39:31ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-0114111710.1038/s41598-024-54862-8Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering timeKai-Uwe Roelfs0Andrea Känel1Richard M. Twyman2Dirk Prüfer3Christian Schulze Gronover4Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of MünsterTRM LtdFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAbstract The Russian dandelion (Taraxacum koksaghyz) grows in temperate zones and produces large amounts of poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) in its roots, making it an attractive alternative source of natural rubber. Most T. koksaghyz plants require vernalization to trigger flower development, whereas early flowering varieties that have lost their vernalization dependence are more suitable for breeding and domestication. To provide insight into the regulation of flowering time in T. koksaghyz, we induced epigenetic variation by in vitro cultivation and applied epigenomic and transcriptomic analysis to the resulting early flowering plants and late flowering controls, allowing us to identify differences in methylation patterns and gene expression that correlated with flowering. This led to the identification of candidate genes homologous to vernalization and photoperiodism response genes in other plants, as well as epigenetic modifications that may contribute to the control of flower development. Some of the candidate genes were homologous to known floral regulators, including those that directly or indirectly regulate the major flowering control gene FT. Our atlas of genes can be used as a starting point to investigate mechanisms that control flowering time in T. koksaghyz in greater detail and to develop new breeding varieties that are more suited to domestication.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54862-8 |
| spellingShingle | Kai-Uwe Roelfs Andrea Känel Richard M. Twyman Dirk Prüfer Christian Schulze Gronover Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time Scientific Reports |
| title | Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| title_full | Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| title_fullStr | Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| title_short | Epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber-producing Russian dandelion Taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| title_sort | epigenetic variation in early and late flowering plants of the rubber producing russian dandelion taraxacum koksaghyz provides insights into the regulation of flowering time |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54862-8 |
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