Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
Genetics. 2023 Feb 9;223(2). doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyac163.
Argonaute 1 (AGO1), the principal protein component of microRNA-mediated regulation, plays a key role in plant growth and development. AGO1 physically interacts with the chaperone HSP90, which buffers cryptic genetic variation in plants and animals. We sought to determine whether genetic perturbation of AGO1 in Arabidopsis thaliana would also reveal cryptic genetic variation, and if so, whether AGO1-dependent loci overlap with those dependent on HSP90. To address these questions, we introgressed a hypomorphic mutant allele of AGO1 into a set of mapping lines derived from the commonly used Arabidopsis strains Col-0 and Ler. Although we identified several cases in which AGO1 buffered genetic variation, none of the AGO1-dependent loci overlapped with those buffered by HSP90 for the traits assayed. We focused on 1 buffered locus where AGO1 perturbation uncoupled the traits days to flowering and rosette leaf number, which are otherwise closely correlated. Using a bulk segregant approach, we identified a nonfunctional Ler hua2 mutant allele as the causal AGO1-buffered polymorphism. Introduction of a nonfunctional hua2 allele into a Col-0 ago1 mutant background recapitulated the Ler-dependent ago1 phenotype, implying that coupling of these traits involves different molecular players in these closely related strains. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that even though AGO1 and HSP90 buffer genetic variation in the same traits, these robustness regulators interact epistatically with different genetic loci, suggesting that higher-order epistasis is uncommon. Plain Language Summary Argonaute 1 (AGO1), a key player in plant development, interacts with the chaperone HSP90, which buffers environmental and genetic variation. We found that AGO1 buffers environmental and genetic variation in the same traits; however, AGO1-dependent and HSP90-dependent loci do not overlap. Detailed analysis of a buffered locus found that a nonfunctional HUA2 allele decouples days to flowering and rosette leaf number in an AGO1-dependent manner, suggesting that the AGO1-dependent buffering acts at the network level.
Argonaute 1 (AGO1),miRNA 介导调控的主要蛋白成分,在植物生长发育中发挥关键作用。AGO1 与伴侣 HSP90 相互作用,缓冲植物和动物中的隐性遗传变异。我们试图确定拟南芥中 AGO1 的遗传扰动是否也会揭示隐性遗传变异,如果是这样,AGO1 依赖的基因座是否与 HSP90 依赖的基因座重叠。为了解决这些问题,我们将 AGO1 的一个功能减弱突变等位基因导入一组源自常用的拟南芥菌株 Col-0 和 Ler 的作图系。尽管我们鉴定了几个 AGO1 缓冲遗传变异的情况,但在所测定的性状中,没有一个 AGO1 依赖的基因座与 HSP90 缓冲的基因座重叠。我们集中研究了一个缓冲的基因座,其中 AGO1 的扰动使开花天数和莲座叶数这两个性状解耦,而这两个性状通常是密切相关的。使用批量分离群体方法,我们鉴定了一个非功能性 Ler hua2 突变等位基因作为因果 AGO1 缓冲多态性。将一个非功能性的 hua2 等位基因导入 Col-0 ago1 突变体背景中,重现了 Ler 依赖的 ago1 表型,这意味着这些性状的耦合涉及到这些密切相关的品系中不同的分子元件。总之,我们的研究结果表明,尽管 AGO1 和 HSP90 在相同的性状中缓冲遗传变异,但这些稳健性调节剂与不同的遗传基因座呈上位性相互作用,这表明高阶上位性并不常见。