Allele frequency and gene expression differences under key winter stresses in temporal populations of two timothy cultivars

Allele frequency and gene expression differences under key winter stresses in temporal populations of two timothy cultivars | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Allele frequency and gene expression differences under key winter stresses in temporal populations of two timothy cultivars Akhil Reddy Pashapu, Sigridur Dalmannsdottir, Marit Jørgensen, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6838156/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Timothy is the most important perennial forage grass species in northern Norway, a region which is predicted to experience variable winter weather conditions due to climate change. Knowledge about how timothy cultivars respond to changing climate is crucial for safeguarding forage production at higher latitudes. In the current study, we investigated changes in gene expression under freezing and ice encasement stresses and SNP allele frequencies between temporal populations (seed generations) of the two northern adapted timothy cultivars ‘Engmo’ and ‘Noreng’. In general, there was a decrease in freezing tolerance (LT50) and an increase in ice encasement tolerance (LD50) over time. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified several genes known to be involved in stress responses as differentially expressed between the temporal populations of Noreng populations under freezing stress. Allele frequency changes in close proximity to the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) suggest there might be a genetic component driving these changes. Very few gene expression differences between populations of both cultivars under ice encasement stress could be due to weak selection pressure during seed multiplication. There was a gradual decline in genetic diversity in populations of both cultivars over time. The results indicate that phytohormone-mediated transcriptional regulation might be one of the key mechanisms for adaptation to changing winter weather conditions at higher latitudes. Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Major revisions 27 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Jun, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 07 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 06 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6838156","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":473903359,"identity":"7c99f845-d3b3-40e6-9da0-9fc9f56b54df","order_by":0,"name":"Akhil Reddy Pashapu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Norwegian University of Life Sciences: Norges miljo- og biovitenskapelige universitet","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akhil","middleName":"Reddy","lastName":"Pashapu","suffix":""},{"id":473903360,"identity":"f19068ed-d7be-4e08-959a-65a871b1599d","order_by":1,"name":"Sigridur 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Knowledge about how timothy cultivars respond to changing climate is crucial for safeguarding forage production at higher latitudes. In the current study, we investigated changes in gene expression under freezing and ice encasement stresses and SNP allele frequencies between temporal populations (seed generations) of the two northern adapted timothy cultivars ‘Engmo’ and ‘Noreng’. In general, there was a decrease in freezing tolerance (LT50) and an increase in ice encasement tolerance (LD50) over time. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified several genes known to be involved in stress responses as differentially expressed between the temporal populations of Noreng populations under freezing stress. Allele frequency changes in close proximity to the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) suggest there might be a genetic component driving these changes. 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