Plant genome response to incoming coding sequences: stochastic transcriptional activation independent of integration loci

About this study

Horizontal gene transfer can occur between phylogenetically distant organisms, such as prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In these cases, how do the translocated genes acquire transcriptional competency in the alien eukaryotic genome? According to the conventional view, specific loci of the eukaryotic genome are thought to provide transcriptional competency to the incoming coding sequences. To examine this possibility, we randomly introduced the promoterless luciferase (LUC)-coding sequences into the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana cultured cells and performed a genome-wide "transgene location vs. expression" scan. We mapped 4,504 promoterless LUC inserts on the A. thaliana chromosomes, and found that about 30% of them were transcribed. Only a small portion of them were explained by the conventional transcriptional fusions with the annotated genes, and the remainder occurred in a quite different manner; (1) they occurred all over the chromosomal regions, (2) independently of the insertion sites relative to the annotated gene loci, inherent transcribed regions, or heterochromatic regions, and (3) with one magnitude lower transcriptional level than the conventional transcriptional fusions. This type of transcriptional activation occurred at about 30% of the inserts, raising a question as to what this 30% means. We tested two hypotheses: the activation occurred at 30% of the entire chromosomal regions, or stochastically at 30% of each insertion event. Our experimental analysis indicates that the latter model could explain this transcriptional activation, a new type of plant genome response to the incoming coding sequences. We discuss the possible mechanisms and evolutionary roles of this phenomenon in the plant genome.