Biotech Updates

Genetic Basis for Differences in Vernalization in Plants

July 20, 2012

Researchers at John Innes Centre discovered the genetic basis for differences in the vernalization response exhibited by plants growing in diverse climates. Vernalization refers to the period of prolonged cold that some plant need before they will flower. This ensures that the flowers would be produced only after the damaging cold of winter has passed. After the cold period, the epigenetic switch silences a flowering repressor gene (FLC). In a new study conducted by Professor Caroline Dean and team, they have worked out how different plants set the level at which this epigenetic switch is stimulated. They studied different varieties of Arabidopsis which exhibited different timings for the turning on of the epigenetic switch.

The team found the difference in the combination of four genetic variations in the genome sequence in and around the FLC gene. The genetic differences influence the chemical modification to histone proteins which DNA is wrapped around. These changes affect the expression of the gene and how they are able to know the switching point for turning off of the gene.

For more details about the study, read the article at http://news.jic.ac.uk/2012/07/carolinedean/.