Epigenetic regulation of ecotype-specific expression of a heat-activated transposon

ONSEN, a high temperature stress-activated retrotransposon identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, is transcriptionally activated by high temperature treatment at 37°C for 24 hours. The number of ONSEN copies is diverse within Arabidopsis thaliana. A study of the high temperature activity of ONSEN in 33 ecotypes in Japan revealed that it is highly expressed in Kyoto. The purpose of this project was to compare the transcript levels of ONSEN under heat stress among Arabidopsis ecotypes to gain a better understanding of the transcriptional regulation of ONSEN. In order to determine the location of ONSEN in the genome, the Kyoto genome was resequenced and the insertion position of ONSEN was determined.