Project description:Small RNAs (21-24 nt) are pivotal regulators of gene expression that guide both transcriptional and post-transcriptional silencing mechanisms in diverse eukaryotes, including most if not all plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are the two major types, both of which have a demonstrated and important role in plant development, stress responses and pathogen resistance. In this work, we used a deep sequencing approach (Sequencing-By-Synthesis, or SBS) to develop sequence resources of small RNAs from Nicotiana tabacum tissues (including leaves, flowers and pods). The high depth of the resulting datasets enabled us to examine in detail critical small RNA features as size distribution, tissue-specific regulation and sequence conservation between different organs in this species. We also developed database resources and a dedicated website (http://smallrna.udel.edu/) with computational tools for allowing other users to identify new miRNAs or siRNAs involved in specific regulatory pathways, verify the degree of conservation of these sequences in other plant species and map small RNAs on genes or larger regions of the maize genome under study.
Project description:Small RNAs (21-24 nt) are pivotal regulators of gene expression that guide both transcriptional and post-transcriptional silencing mechanisms in diverse eukaryotes, including most if not all plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are the two major types, both of which have a demonstrated and important role in plant development, stress responses and pathogen resistance. In this work, we used a deep sequencing approach (Sequencing-By-Synthesis, or SBS) to develop sequence resources of small RNAs from Nicotiana tabacum tissues (including leaves, flowers and pods). The high depth of the resulting datasets enabled us to examine in detail critical small RNA features as size distribution, tissue-specific regulation and sequence conservation between different organs in this species. We also developed database resources and a dedicated website (http://smallrna.udel.edu/) with computational tools for allowing other users to identify new miRNAs or siRNAs involved in specific regulatory pathways, verify the degree of conservation of these sequences in other plant species and map small RNAs on genes or larger regions of the maize genome under study. Small RNA libraries were derived from leaves, flowers and pods of Nicotiana tabacum. Total RNA was isolated using the TriReagent (Molecular Research Center) for leaves and flowers, and the Plant RNA Purification Reagent (Invitrogen) for pods, and submitted to Illumina (Hayward, CA, http://www.illumina.com) for small RNA library construction using approaches described in (Lu et al., 2007) with minor modifications. The small RNA libraries were sequenced with the Sequencing-By-Synthesis (SBS) technology by Illumina. PERL scripts were designed to remove the adapter sequences and determine the abundance of each distinct small RNA. We thank Barbara Baker for providing the plant material as well as Kan Nobuta and Gayathri Mahalingam for assistance with the computational methods.
Project description:The 35S::GFP fluorescence was silenced 6-day after infiltration to Nicotiana benthamiana leaves due to the post-transcriptional gene silencing, but became stable by adding the viral suppressor 2b which repressed RNA silencing in plants. We performed the small RNA high throughput sequencing to test whether WUS can inhibit 2b functions in repressing plant RNA silencing.
Project description:RNA silencing is one of the main defense mechanisms employed by plants to fight viruses. In change, viruses have evolved silencing suppressor proteins to neutralize antiviral silencing. Since the endogenous and antiviral functions of RNA silencing pathway rely on common components, it was suggested that viral suppressors interfere with endogenous silencing pathway contributing to viral symptom development. In this work, we aimed to understand the effects of the tombusviral p19 suppressor on endogenous and antiviral silencing during genuine virus infection. We showed that ectopically expressed p19 sequesters endogenous small RNAs (sRNAs) in the absence, but not in the presence of virus infection. Our presented data question the generalized model in which the sequestration of endogenous sRNAs by the viral suppressor contributes to the viral symptom development. We further showed that p19 preferentially binds the perfectly-paired ds-viral small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) but does not select based on their sequence or the type of the 5’ nucleotide. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation of sRNAs with AGO1 or AGO2 from virus-infected plants revealed that p19 specifically impairs vsiRNA loading into AGO1 but not AGO2. Our findings, coupled with the fact that p19-expressing wild type Cymbidium ringspot virus (CymRSV) overcomes the Nicotiana benthamiana silencing based defense killing the host, suggest that AGO1 is the main effector of antiviral silencing in this host-virus combination. To further support our hypothesis we investigate whether the ability of p19 to bind endogenous sRNA without virus infection has biological important impact on endogenous pathways and is this reduced if the virus is present. To asses this we made mRNA sequencing from mock inoculated and Cym19stop infected p19syn plants. Cym19stop infected wild type plant was sequenced as a control. The sequencing data results supports our claims. An increase in transcriptional levels were found in case of genes known to be under small RNA regulation in uninfected p19syn plants and expressional levels return to normal Cym19stop p19syn plants.
Project description:Viral suppressors of RNA silencing, VSRs, counteract the antiviral RNA silencing of host plants by sequestration of virus-derived siRNAs. A central question concerns whether and how VSRs associate cellular miRNAs and thus modulate plant gene expression during a viral infection. In this study we characterize the binding behaviour of the tombusviral p19 protein to miRNAs by performing an RNA-pull down experiment with bead-associated p19 protein from carnation italian ringspot virus. For this, we used cytoplasmatic extracs of Nicotiana tabacum protoplasts as an RNA source. By applying Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to the precipitated small RNAs, we were able to identify miRNAs specifically associating with the protein and other that were not efficiently bound by p19.