Project description:Characterization of the activities of the transcription factor that AG encodes throughout flower development using perturbation assays and ChIP-Seq in combination with a floral induction system (FIS) that allows a stage-specific analysis of flower development. Examination of genomic regions bound by fully functional AG-GFP protein at approx floral stage 4-5 as compared to a negative control sample.
Project description:Characterization of the activities of the transcription factors that AP3 and PI encode throughout flower development using perturbation and ChIPSeq assays in combination with a floral induction system (FIS) that allows a stage-specific analysis of flower development. Examination of genomic regions bound by fully functional AP3-GFP and PI-GFP proteins at approx floral stage 4-5 as compared to a negative control sample
Project description:The MADS-domain transcription factor APETALA1 (AP1) is a key regulator of Arabidopsis flower development. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying AP1 function, we identified its target genes during floral initiation using a combination of gene expression profiling and genome-wide binding studies. Many of its targets encode transcriptional regulators, including known floral repressors. The latter genes are down-regulated by AP1, suggesting that it initiates floral development by abrogating the inhibitory effects of these genes. While AP1 acts predominantly as a transcriptional repressor during the earliest stages of flower development, regulatory genes known to be required for floral organ formation were found to be activated by AP1 at more advanced stages, indicating a dynamic mode of action. Our results further imply that AP1 orchestrates floral initiation by integrating growth, patterning and hormonal pathways. We used the AP1-GR system to conduct chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments with AP1-specific antibodies followed by deep-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) in order to determine AP1 binding sites on a genome-wide scale. Samples were generated from tissue in which the AP1-GR protein was induced for 2h using a single treatment of 1 uM DEX to the shoot apex. As control, we performed ChIP experiments using the same antibody on uninduced tissue. Experiments were done in two biological replicates.
Project description:The transition from vegetative to reproductive development is one of the most important phase changes in the plant life cycle. This step is controlled by various environmental signals that are integrated at the molecular level by so-called floral integrators. One such floral integrator in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is the MADS domain transcription factor SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1). Despite extensive genetic studies, little is known about the transcriptional control of SOC1, and we are just starting to explore the network of genes under the direct control of SOC1 transcription factor complexes. Here, we show that several MADS domain proteins, including SOC1 heterodimers, are able to bind SOC1 regulatory sequences. Genome-wide target gene analysis by ChIP-seq confirmed the binding of SOC1 to its own locus and shows that it also binds to a plethora of flowering-time regulatory and floral homeotic genes. In turn, the encoded floral homeotic MADS domain proteins appear to bind SOC1 regulatory sequences. Subsequent in planta analyses revealed SOC1 repression by several floral homeotic MADS domain proteins, and we show that, mechanistically, this depends on the presence of the SOC1 protein. Together, our data show that SOC1 constitutes a major hub in the regulatory networks underlying floral timing and flower development and that these networks are composed of many positive and negative autoregulatory and feedback loops. The latter seems to be crucial for the generation of a robust flower-inducing signal, followed shortly after by repression of the SOC1 floral integrator. A. thaliana SOC1 ChIP-seq w. control, 3 replicates
Project description:Poplar GeneChip was employed to detect genes expressed during the whole floral developmental process, in order to improve understanding of poplar flower development, since current knowledge on flower development was mainly from model plant Arabidopsis. Male and female floral buds of Populus tomentosa were selected at successive stages of the whole development process for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. We sought to obtain genes contributed to floral development, but not the dynamic expression changes. To that end, equal amount of floral buds RNA per gender from different stages were mixed for the detection of expressed genes.
Project description:Our results showed that hundreds of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in floral sex initiation period, but thousands of DEGs were involved in stamens and ovules development process. Moreover, the DEGs were mainly showed up-regulation in male floral initiation, but mainly down-regulation in female floral initiation. Male floral initiation was associated with the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway while female floral initiation was related to the phytohormone signal transduction pathway. In addition, the floral organ identity genes played important roles in floral sex differentiation process and displayed a general conservation of the ABCDE model in J. curcas.