CONSERVED NONCODING SEQUENCES REGULATE STEADY-STATE mRNA LEVELS IN Arabidopsis thaliana

Author

Jacob Spangler, Clemson UniversityFollow

Date of Award

5-2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Legacy Department

Genetics

Committee Chair/Advisor

Feltus, Alex

Committee Member

Lawton-Rauh , Amy

Committee Member

Frugoli , Julia

Committee Member

Liang , Haiying

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana has undergone three whole genome duplications within its ancestry, and these events have dramatically affected its gene complement. Of the most recent whole genome duplication events (&alpha event), there remain 11,452 conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs) that have been retained proximal to &alpha duplicate gene pairs. As functional DNA elements are expected to diverge in sequence at a slower rate than nonfunctional DNA elements, the retained CNSs likely encode gene regulatory function. Within this dissertation I provide evidence for the regulatory role of CNSs within Arabidopsis thaliana. Using a collection of over 5,000 microarray RNA expression profiling datasets, I demonstrate that the presence of CNSs near &alpha duplicate pairs is correlated with changes in average expression intensity (AEI), &alpha duplicate pair co-expression, mRNA stability, and breadth of gene expression. The effects of CNSs on AEI, co-expression, and mRNA stability vary relative to their subgene position, because they are located in nontranscribed (5'-upstream and 3'-downstream) and transcribed (5'-UTR, intronic and 3'-UTR) regions. Modeling gene interactions through the generation of co-expression networks, I also demonstrate that a portion of CNSs participate in known gene regulatory networks. Collectively, this body of work demonstrates that CNSs regulate steady-state mRNA levels within Arabidopsis thailiana through both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.

Recommended Citation

Spangler, Jacob, "CONSERVED NONCODING SEQUENCES REGULATE STEADY-STATE mRNA LEVELS IN Arabidopsis thaliana" (2013). All Dissertations. 1103.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1103