Genome-wide association studies meta-analysis uncovers NOJO and SGS3 novel genes involved in Arabidopsis thaliana primary root development and plasticity

Brenda Anabel López-Ruíz, Berenice García-Ponce, María de la Paz Sánchez, Elena R. Álvarez-Buylla, Araxi Urrutia, Adriana Garay-Arroyo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.
Original languageEnglish
Article number763
JournalMolecular Biology Reports
Volume51
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 14 Jun 2024

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank Dr Marcos Castellanos for providing us with the T-DNA lines, Elsa H Quezada-Rodríguez for helping us with the protein analysis and Dra. Diana B. Sanchez Rodríguez for her logistical and technical support.

Funding

This study was financed with the following grants: CONAHCyT: 102959 (AG-A) and 102987 (MPS) and AG-A, BG-P, MPS and EA-B received funding from UNAM-DGAPA-PAPIIT (IN200920, IN206223, IN203223, IN211721). BAL-R received a postdoctoral fellowship from CONAHCyT (489444).

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