Cycling of clock genes entrained to the solar rhythm enables plants to tell time: data from Arabidopsis.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

An endogenous rhythm synchronized to dawn cannot time photosynthesis-linked genes to peak consistently at noon since the interval between sunrise and noon changes seasonally. In this study, a solar clock model that circumvents this limitation is proposed using two daily timing references synchronized to noon and midnight. Other rhythmic genes that are not directly linked to photosynthesis, and which peak at other times, also find an adaptive advantage in entrainment to the solar rhythm.

Methods

Fourteen datasets extracted from three published papers were used in a meta-analysis to examine the cyclic behaviour of the Arabidopsis thaliana photosynthesis-related gene CAB2 and the clock oscillator genes TOC1 and LHY in T cycles and N-H cycles.

Key results<

SUBMITTER: Yeang HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4479757 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature