Genome-Wide Patterns of Arabidopsis Gene Expression in Nature

Organisms in the wild are subject to multiple, fluctuating environmental factors, and it is in complex natural environments that genetic regulatory networks actually function and evolve. We assessed genome-wide gene expression patterns in the wild in two natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and examined the nature of transcriptional variation throughout its life cycle and gene expression correlations with natural environmental fluctuations. We grew plants in a natural field environment and measured genome-wide time-series gene expression from the plant shoot every three days, spanning the seedling to reproductive stages. We find that 15,352 genes were expressed in the A. thaliana shoot in the field, and accession and flowering status (vegetative versus flowering) were strong components of transcriptional variation in this plant. We identified between ∼110 and 190 time-varying gene expression clusters in the field, many of which were significantly overrepresented by genes regulated by abiotic and biotic environmental stresses. The two main principal components of vegetative shoot gene expression (PCveg) correlate to temperature and precipitation occurrence in the field. The largest PCveg axes included thermoregulatory genes while the second major PCveg was associated with precipitation and contained drought-responsive genes. By exposing A. thaliana to natural environments in an open field, we provide a framework for further understanding the genetic networks that are deployed in natural environments, and we connect plant molecular genetics in the laboratory to plant organismal ecology in the wild. Author Summary: Plants in the real world are continuously exposed to multiple environmental signals and must respond appropriately to the dynamic conditions found in nature. Environmental signals can fluctuate during an individual's life cycle with varying degrees of predictability, and complex natural environments are where gene activity evolves. We grew two natural accessions of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana in an open field in New York in the spring and examined genome-wide gene expression patterns in the wild. We find nearly 200 gene expression clusters in these field-grown plants, and many of these clusters were enriched in genes that had previously been shown to be associated with expression under various abiotic or biotic environmental stress conditions. Two major principal components of gene expression were associated with environmental fluctuations in temperature and rainfall, and we identified several genes (such as the thermoregulatory nucleosome occupancy gene ARP6 and the drought-sensitive hormone biosynthetic gene AAO3) that could be found in these principal components. By exploring genome-wide gene expression in plants in the wild, we were able to connect mechanistic aspects of plant molecular biology with ecological responses in nature and to begin to understand how organisms behave and adapt in their natural environments.