Integrating analog and digital modes of gene expression at Arabidopsis FLC

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.79743
• Publication Date: 2023-07-19T14:35:52Z
• Authors: Rea L Antoniou-Ko...; Anis Meschichi; Svenja Reeck; Scott Berry; Govind Menon; Yusheng Zhao; John Fozard; Terri Holmes; Lihua Zhao; Huamei Wang; Matthew Hartley; Caroline Dean; Stefanie Rosa; Martin Howard
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; QH301-705.5; Arabidopsis Proteins; quantitative gene expression; Science; Q; mathematical modeling; R; Arabidopsis; Gene Expression; MADS Domain Proteins; Flowers; Single molecule RNA FISH; Chromosomes and Gene Expression; Epigenesis, Genetic; FLC; Cold Temperature; 03 medical and health sciences; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Medicine; Gene Silencing; Biology (General)

Quantitative gene regulation at the cell population level can be achieved by two fundamentally different modes of individual copies. A ‘digital’ mode involves binary ON/OFF expression states, with population-level variation arising from proportion copies in each state, while an ‘analog’ graded levels copy. At Arabidopsis floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), Polycomb silencing is known to facilitate quantitative epigenetic memory response cold. However, whether FLC before cold analog or digital unknown. Using fluorescent imaging mRNA and protein, together mathematical modeling, we find that regulated both modes. We observe a temporal separation between modes, preceding digital. The maintain intermediate copies, subsequent silencing, consistent switching OFF stochastically heritably without This switch leads slow reduction level. These data present new paradigm for gradual repression, elucidating how transcriptional pathways integrated.