A role of flowering genes in the tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana to cucumber mosaic virus

Sammanfattning

The genetic basis of plant tolerance to parasites is poorly understood. We have previously shown that tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana to its pathogen cucumber mosaic virus is achieved through changes in host life-history traits on infection that result in delaying flowering and reallocating resources from vegetative growth to reproduction. In this system we analyse here genetic determinants of tolerance using a recombinant inbred line family derived from a cross of two accessions with extreme phenotypes. Three major quantitative trait loci for tolerance were identified, which co-located with three flowering repressor genes, FLC, FRI, and HUA2. The role of these genes in tolerance was further examined in genotypes carrying functional or nonfunctional alleles. Functional alleles of FLC together with FRI and/or HUA2 were required for both tolerance and resource reallocation from growth to reproduction. Analyses of FLC alleles from wild accessions that differentially modulate flowering time showed that they ranked differently for their effects on tolerance and flowering. These results pinpoint a role of FLC in A. thaliana tolerance to cucmber mosaic virus, which is a novel major finding, as FLC has not been recognized previously to be involved in plant defence. Although tolerance is associated with a delay in flowering that allows resource reallocation, our results indicate that FLC regulates tolerance and flowering initiation by different mechanisms. Thus, we open a new avenue of research on the interplay between defence and development in plants.

Nyckelord

cucumber mosaic virus; FLC; life-history traits; plant defence; plant-virus interactions; resource reallocation

Publicerad i

Molecular Plant Pathology
2022, volym: 23, nummer: 2, sidor: 175-187
Utgivare: WILEY

SLU författare

• Shukla, Aayushi

  • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)

Associerade SLU-program

SLU Nätverk växtskydd

UKÄ forskningsämne

Botanik
Genetik och genomik

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.13151

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/114258