Ute Krämer | Ruhr University Bochum Germany (original) (raw)

Papers by Ute Krämer

Plant physiology, Dec 1, 2017

Science Advances

Most well-characterized cases of adaptation involve single genetic loci. Theory suggests that mul... more Most well-characterized cases of adaptation involve single genetic loci. Theory suggests that multilocus adaptive walks should be common, but these are challenging to identify in natural populations. Here, we combine trait mapping with population genetic modeling to show that a two-step process rewired nutrient homeostasis in a population of Arabidopsis as it colonized the base of an active stratovolcano characterized by extremely low soil manganese (Mn). First, a variant that disrupted the primary iron (Fe) uptake transporter gene ( IRT1 ) swept quickly to fixation in a hard selective sweep, increasing Mn but limiting Fe in the leaves. Second, multiple independent tandem duplications occurred at NRAMP1 and together rose to near fixation in the island population, compensating the loss of IRT1 by improving Fe homeostasis. This study provides a clear case of a multilocus adaptive walk and reveals how genetic variants reshaped a phenotype and spread over space and time.

It is a plausible hypothesis that parallel adaptation events to the same environmental challenge ... more It is a plausible hypothesis that parallel adaptation events to the same environmental challenge should result in genetic changes of similar or identical effects, depending on the underlying fitness landscapes. However, systematic testing of this is scarce. Here we examine this hypothesis in two closely related plant species, Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis arenosa, which co-occur at two calamine metalliferous sites harbouring toxic levels of the heavy metals zinc and cadmium. We conduct individual genome resequencing alongside soil elemental analysis for 64 plants from eight populations on metalliferous and non-metalliferous soils, and identify genomic footprints of selection and local adaptation. Selective sweep and environmental association analyses indicate a modest degree of gene as well as functional network convergence, whereby the proximal molecular factors mediating this convergence mostly differ between site pairs and species. Notably, we observe repeated selection on identical SNPs in several A. halleri genes at two independently colonized metalliferous sites. Our data suggest that species-specific metal handling and other biological features could explain a low degree of convergence between species. The parallel establishment of plant populations on calamine metalliferous soils involves convergent evolution, which will likely be more pervasive across sites purposely chosen for maximal similarity in soil composition.This article is part of the theme issue 'Convergent evolution in the genomics era: new insights and directions'.

The Plant Cell, Feb 1, 2012

Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 2010

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Jun 3, 2019

Plant Signaling & Behavior, Aug 1, 2008

Plant Signaling & Behavior, Nov 7, 2019

Abstracts of the Annual Meetings, Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2014

Plant, Cell & Environment, 2011

ABSTRACTThe legume genus Lotus includes glycophytic forage crops and other species adapted to ext... more ABSTRACTThe legume genus Lotus includes glycophytic forage crops and other species adapted to extreme environments, such as saline soils. Understanding salt tolerance mechanisms will contribute to the discovery of new traits which may enhance the breeding efforts towards improved performance of legumes in marginal agricultural environments. Here, we used a combination of ionomic and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS)‐based metabolite profilings of complete shoots (pooling leaves, petioles and stems) to compare the extremophile Lotus creticus, adapted to highly saline coastal regions, and two cultivated glycophytic grassland forage species, Lotus corniculatus and Lotus tenuis. L. creticus exhibited better survival after exposure to long‐term lethal salinity and was more efficient at excluding Cl‐ from the shoots than the glycophytes. In contrast, Na+ levels were higher in the extremophile under both control and salt stress, a trait often observed in halophytes. Ionomics dem...

Environmental Science & Technology, 2014

Environmental Science & Technology, 2013

To maintain metal homeostasis within physiological limits independently of metal concentrations p... more To maintain metal homeostasis within physiological limits independently of metal concentrations present in soil, plants developed a complex network including metal uptake, chelation, trafficking, and storage processes. In this network, transporters have a central role. To study the molecular basis of zinc homeostasis in plants, we are using A. halleri, a zinc- and cadmium-tolerant and zinc-hyperaccumulating species representing the extreme end of natural variation in terms of metal homeostasis. Indeed, A. halleri stores high amount of metals in vacuoles of above-ground tissues (>1% Zn or 0.01% Cd in shoot dry weight). Cross-species transcriptomic studies identified about thirty genes which are constitutively over-expressed in A. halleri compared to its non-tolerant and non-hyperaccumulator sister species, Arabidopsis thaliana (1-3). HMA4 is one of these genes. It encodes a Zn/Cd plasmamembrane pump involved in xylem loading/unloading which is a key step in the hyperaccumulation process (4-5). The HMA4 overexpression is determined by a combination of gene triplication and cis-regulatory changes increasing transcription levels of each three HMA4 copies (5). We aim to identify the cis-elements underlying high expression of HMA4 in A. halleri using promoter-reporter constructs