Molecular ecology of phenology: dynamics of flowering-time genes of perennial plants

任何基因调控系统都是在自然环境中进化的，因此基因调控的作用最终应该在自然环境中得到理解。如果没有对过去温度的记忆，就很难在自然嘈杂的温度中检测到季节，因为几周内的温度变化通常与季节趋势不一致。我们对一个关键的开花基因AhgFLC进行了两年的表达普查，结果显示，这个开花时间基因提取季节性信号，就像它记忆过去6周的温度一样。我们开发的模型准确地预测了自然环境中的基因表达，并将有助于预测植物对未来气候变化的响应。

Any gene regulatory system has evolved in a natural habitat, and therefore the role of gene regulation should ultimately be understood in the natural environment. Without memory of past temperatures, it is difficult to detect seasons in natural noisy temperatures because temperature changes within a couple of weeks are often inconsistent with seasonal trends. Our 2-year census of expression of a key flowering gene, AhgFLC, revealed that this flowering--time gene extracts seasonal cues as if it memorizes temperatures over past 6 weeks. Our developed model accurately predicted the gene expressions in natural environments and will contribute to predicting the plant response to future climatic change.