Genetic characterization of T-DNA insertions in the genome of the Arabidopsis thaliana sumo1/2 knock-down line

Abstract

Sumoylation is an essential post-translational modification in Arabidopsis thaliana, which entails the conjugation of the SUMO protein onto lysine residues in target proteins. In Arabidopsis, 2 closely related genes, SUMO1 and SUMO2, act redundantly and are in combination essential for plant development, i.e. the combined loss of SUMO1 and SUMO2 results in embryo-lethality. To circumvent this lethality, SUMO2 was previously knocked down in a sumo1 knockout background by expressing an artificial microRNA that targets SUMO2 (amiR-SUMO2). This sumo1/2KD line with low SUMO2 levels represents a valuable genetics tool to investigate SUMO function in planta. Here, we re-sequenced the whole-genome of this sumo1/2KD line and identified 2 amiR-SUMO2 insertions in this line, which were confirmed by PCR-genotyping. Identification of these 2 insertions enables genetics with this tool.