Project description:We developed an artificial genome evolution system, which we termed ‘TAQing’, by introducing multiple genomic DNA double-strand breaks using a heat-activatable endonuclease in Arabidopsis plant. The heat-activated endonuclease, TaqI, induced random DSBs, which resulted in diverse types of chromosomal rearrangements including translocations. To evaluate the potential of TAQing in multicellular organisms, we tested it in diploid and tetraploid Arabidopsis plants. In 9 out of 96 TQ4 plants, we detected 22 large copy number variations (CNVs) events compared witn wild type plant genome, whereas no CNV was found in the 16 control tetraploid plants, and 12 TQ2 plants. The combination of artificially introduced DSBs with whole-genome duplication (WGD) in plants enabled more complex genome reorganization.
Project description:DNA methylation is involved in many biological processes during plant growth and development. Here, we report a novel annual growth rhythm that is found in cotton plants grown in different time-of-year. To further study this rhythm in other plants, we use Arabidopsis thaliana for genome-wide bisulfite sequencing.
Project description:Genomic rearrangements typically occur progressively during tumor development. Recent findings, however, suggest an alternative mechanism, involving chromosome shattering and reshuffling ('chromothripsis'), for which no genetic basis has yet been described. Whole-genome sequencing of a Sonic-Hedgehog medulloblastoma (SHH-MB) brain tumor from a patient with a germline TP53 mutation (Li-Fraumeni syndrome) revealed massive, complex rearrangements resulting from chromothripsis. Integrating TP53 status with genomic rearrangement data in additional medulloblastomas revealed a striking association between TP53 mutation and chromothripsis in SHH-MBs. Unexpectedly, five seemingly sporadic SHH-MB patients with chromothripsis harbored TP53 germline mutations – findings relevant for clinical management. Analysis of additional tumor entities substantiated a link between TP53 mutation and chromothripsis, beyond general genomic instability. Among these, we observed a strong association between somatic TP53 mutations and chromothripsis in acute myeloid leukemia. These findings implicate p53 in the initiation of, or cellular reaction to, chromothripsis – a novel role for the 'guardian of the genome'.
Project description:We present and propose the application of 5-Ethynyl uridine for metabolic labeling of RNAs in plants, which allows the isolation of neo-synthesized RNAs from intact plants. This system provides the possibility to investigate neo-synthesized RNAs from living plant cells. Neu-RNAseq can be applied for the detection of splicing variants, especially RNAs containing retained introns and alternative 5’ and 3’ splice sites. A subset of unspliced RNAs identified by Neu-Seq is subjected for elimination by the NMD pathway, but the majority of the RNA splicing variants detected in Neu-Seq libraries will be further processed into mature mRNAs.
Project description:DNA methylation is involved in many biological processes during plant growth and development. Here, we report a novel annual growth rhythm that is found in cotton plants grown in different time-of-year. To further study this rhythm in other plants, we use Arabidopsis thaliana for genome-wide bisulfite sequencing. Two A. thaliana DNA samples were extracted from 20 days old whole plant in Feburary and August for bisulphite treatment and further Illumina sequencing.
Project description:Dodders (Cuscuta spp.) are obligate parasitic plants that obtain water and nutrients from the stems of host plants via specialized feeding structures called haustoria. Dodder haustoria facilitate bi-directional movement of viruses, proteins, and mRNAs between host and parasite, but the functional effects of these movements are not clear. Here we show that C. campestris haustoria accumulate high levels of many novel microRNAs (miRNAs) while parasitizing Arabidopsis thaliana hosts. Many of these miRNAs are 22 nts long, a usually rare size of plant miRNA associated with amplification of target silencing through secondary small interfering RNA (siRNA) production. Several A. thaliana mRNAs are targeted by C. campestris 22 nt miRNAs during parasitism, resulting in high levels of secondary siRNA production. The targeted mRNAs function in hormone perception, pathogen-defense signaling, phloem function, and stem-cell identity. Homologs of these target mRNAs from diverse plants also have high-confidence complementary sites to C. campestris miRNAs, suggesting that homologous mRNAs are targeted by C. campestris across its very broad host range. These data show that C. campestris miRNAs act as trans-species regulators of host gene expression, and suggest that they may act as virulence factors during parasitism.
Project description:To investigate the response of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to non-freezing, cool temperatures, we subjected four week old plants to various chilling temperatures at defined times during the diurnal cycle to control for diurnal effects on transcription. From the same plants, metabolites and enzyme activities were measured as well. Interestingly a gradual change could be observed over a wide range of temperatures. Some of which could be attributed to the CBF program. Keywords: time course, different temperatures