Investigating the ONSEN Genome in Arabidopsis
Stress is an essential factor whose role in shaping the biology of organisms is not fully understood. Studies conducted on the flower of Arabidopsis have greatly expanded our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the formation of stress elements and their effect on gene regulation (Niu et al., 2022). The scientists conducted experiments investigating how a mobile element such as a DNA sequence can move within the ONSEN genome (Boonjing et al., 2020).
This genome is a transposon that has an increased response to stress. This means that he is usually in a state of rest all the time. However, he can become active when exposed to stress. Examples of such an impact may be a sharp change in temperature towards heat or some other external influence.
Activation Mechanism of the ONSEN Transposon
Genes regulating abscisic acid (ABA) can trigger the activity of the ONSEN genome. In this case, the ABA hormone plays a crucial role in prescribing the response of plants to external stress factors (Klein & Anderson, 2022). Receptors highly responsive to ABA may be encoded when ONSEN is inserted. Thus, they can become dysfunctional, significantly reducing plants’ susceptibility to the hormone (Klein & Anderson, 2022). This discovery is an essential advance in biology as it could potentially help in the genetic improvement of plants to make them less sensitive to environmental changes.
The Role of Abscisic Acid (ABA) in Stress Response
ABA is an essential element that regulates the response of plants to stress. Plants can improve gas exchange by abolishing solid sensitivity to external influences such as increased air temperature, cold, or drought (Vanderschuren et al., 2020). Thus, the inability of plants to respond to stress can lead to the fact that they will not be able to respond effectively enough to stress, which will not allow them to adapt to external conditions and reduce yield. In addition, the susceptibility of crops to diseases can increase significantly due to their weakened response, which will lead to their mass extinction.
Implications of Research
This transgenerational effect can be traced to a phenomenon that determines epigenetic inheritance. Insertion of ONSEN into one of the generations of plants can lead to changes in the structure of the affected genes, making them less susceptible to transcription (Ito, 2022). The consequences of this discovery may affect a holistic understanding of the impact of stress conditions on the biology of plant populations. How genes are regulated may be subject to massive changes due to the activation of transposons such as ONSEN. Understanding how organisms can respond to stress can further give scientists insight into how plants can be more resilient.
References
Boonjing, P., Masuta, Y., Nozawa, K., Kato, A., & Ito, H. (2020). The effect of zebularine on the heat-activated retrotransposon ONSEN in Arabidopsis thaliana and Vigna angularis. Genes & Genetic Systems, 95(4), 165-172.
Ito, H. (2022). Environmental stress and transposons in plants. Genes & Genetic Systems, 97(4), 169-175.
Klein, S. P., & Anderson, S. N. (2022). The evolution and function of transposons in epigenetic regulation in response to the environment. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 69, 102277.
Niu, X., Chen, L., Kato, A., & Ito, H. (2022). Regulatory mechanism of a heat-activated retrotransposon by DDR complex in Arabidopsis thaliana. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 5169.
Vanderschuren, H., Zaidi, S. S. E. A., Shakir, S., Mehta, D., Nguyen, V., & Gutzat, R. (2022). Profiling of eccDNAs in Arabidopsis indicates shift in population of TE-derived eccDNAs in response to stress, cellular state, and epigenetic processes.