Jumping genes help plants adapt to extreme temperature and pathogens

Jumping genes, or transposons, are sections of DNA that can copy themselves and jump between different parts of the genome, and might help plants adapt to stressful, changing conditions.

Using a cutting-edge sequencing technique, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN found that Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant used as a model for scientific research, expresses thousands of hybrids between regular genes and jumping genes.

The plant alters the expression of these hybrid genes in response to environmental stresses such as excessive heat, or pathogens. These findings could contribute to the development of new crops that can better cope with stressful environments.

Typically, plants and animals also use gene regulation to suppress the activity of transposons, says Dr. Jeremy Berthelier, lead author of the study and post-doctoral researcher in the Plant Epigenetics Unit. "Transposons can be damaging, as these sections of DNA can insert themselves into genes and cause harmful mutations."

However, in this new study, the scientists found that Arabidopsis thaliana expresses thousands of RNA transcripts that are hybrids of regular genes and transposons. These hybrid RNA molecules, called gene-transposon transcripts, occur when transposons jump near or within a gene, and are then expressed together.

The researchers identified these transcripts using a cutting-edge method called Direct RNA Sequencing that can read long RNA sequences. They then used a computational tool they developed, called ParasiTE, to classify the gene-transposon transcripts, based on the effect that the transposon had on the gene.

Image source: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.