Genome-wide Association Studies Meta-analysis Uncovers NOJO and SGS3 Novel Genes Involved in Arabidopsis Thaliana Primary Root Development and Plasticity

Overview

Journal Mol Biol Rep

Specialty Molecular Biology

Date 2024 Jun 14

PMID 38874813

Authors

Brenda Anabel Lopez-Ruiz

Berenice Garcia-Ponce

Maria de la Paz Sanchez

Elena R Alvarez-Buylla

Araxi O Urrutia

Adriana Garay-Arroyo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Arabidopsis thaliana primary root growth has become a model for evo-devo studies due to its simplicity and facility to record cell proliferation and differentiation. To identify new genetic components relevant to primary root growth, we used a Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) meta-analysis approach using data published in the last decade. In this work, we performed intra and inter-studies analyses to discover new genetic components that could participate in primary root growth.

Methods And Results: We used 639 accessions from nine different studies under control conditions and performed different GWAS tests. We found that primary root growth changes were associated with 41 genes, of which six (14.6%) have been previously described as inhibitors or promoters of primary root growth. The knockdown lines of two genes, Suppressor of Gene Silencing (SGS3), involved in tasiRNA processing, and a gene with a Sterile Alpha Motif (SAM) motif named NOJOCH MOOTS (NOJO), confirmed their role as repressors of primary root growth, none has been shown to participate in this developmental process before.

Conclusions: In summary, our GWAS analysis of different available studies identified new genes that participate in primary root growth; two of them were identified as repressors of primary root growth.

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