Length variation in short tandem repeats affects gene expression in natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: The genetic basis for the fine-tuned regulation of gene expression is complex and ultimately influences the phenotype and thus the local adaptation of natural populations. Short tandem repeats (STRs) consisting of repetitive DNA motifs have been shown to regulate gene expression. STRs are variable in length within a population and serve as a heritable, but semi-reversible, reservoir of standing genetic variation. For sessile organisms, such as plants, STRs could be of major importance in fine-tuning gene expression as a response to a shifting local environment. Here, we used a transcriptome dataset from natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana to investigate population-wide gene expression patterns in light of genome-wide STR variation. We empirically modeled gene expression as a respons

SUBMITTER: Reinar WB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8364236 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature