Role of vernalization and of duplicated FLOWERING LOCUS C in the perennial Arabidopsis lyrata

SummaryFLOWERING LOCUS C ( FLC ) is one of the main genes influencing the vernalization requirement and natural flowering time variation in the annual A rabidopsis thaliana . Here we studied the effects of vernalization on flowering and its genetic basis in the perennial A rabidopsis lyrata . Two tandemly duplicated FLC genes ( FLC 1 and FLC 2 ) were compared with respect to expression and DNA sequence. The effect of vernalization on flowering and on the expression of FLC 1 was studied in three European populations. The genetic basis of the FLC 1 expression difference between two of the populations was further studied by expression quantitative trait locus ( eQTL ) mapping and sequence analysis. FLC 1 was shown to have a likely role in the vernalization requirement for flowering in A. lyrata . Vernalization decreased its expression and the northern study populations showed higher FLC 1 expression than the southern one. eQTL mapping between two of the populations revealed one eQTL affecting FLC1 expression in the genomic region containing the FLC genes. Most FLC 1 sequence differences between the study populations were found in the promoter region and in the first intron. Variation in the FLC 1 sequence may cause differences in FLC 1 expression between late‐ and early‐flowering A. lyrata populations.