Project description:Take-all is a devastating soil-borne disease that affects wheat production. The continuous generation of disease-resistance germplasm is an important aspect of the management of this pathogen. In this study, we characterized the wheat-Psathyrostachys huashania Keng-derived progeny H139 that exhibits significantly improved resistance to wheat take-all disease compared with its susceptible parent 7182. GISH) and mc-FISH analyses revealed that H139 is a stable wheat-P. huashania disomic substitution line lacking wheat chromosome 2D.EST-STS marker and Wheat Axiom 660K Genotyping Array analysis further revealed that H139 was a novel wheat-P. huashania 2Ns/2D substitution line, and that the P. huashania 2Ns chromosome shares high sequence similarity to wheat chromosome 2D. These results indicate that H139, with its enhanced wheat take-all disease resistance and desirable agronomic traits, provides valuable genetic resources for wheat chromosome engineering breeding.
Project description:Centromeres typically contain repeat sequences, but centromere function does not necessarily depend on these sequences. In aneuploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) and wheat distant hybridization offspring, we found functional centromeres with dramatic changes to centromeric retrotransposon of wheat (CRW) sequences. CRW sequences were greatly reduced in the ditelosomic lines 1BS, 5DS, 5DL, and a wheat-Thinopyrum elongatum addition line. CRWs were completely lost in the ditelosomic line 4DS, but a 994 kb ectopic genomic DNA sequence was involved in de novo centromere formation on the 4DS chromosome. In addition, two ectopic sequences were incorporated in a de novo centromere in a wheat-Th. intermedium addition line. Centromeric sequences were also expanded to the chromosome arm in wide hybridizations. Stable alien chromosomes with two and three regions containing centromeric sequences were found in wheat-Th. elongatum hybrid derivatives, but only one is functional. In wheat-rye (Secale cereale) hybrids, rye centromere specific sequences spread to the chromosome arm and may cause centromere expansion. Thus, distant wheat hybridizations cause frequent and significant changes to the centromere via centromere misdivision, which may affect retention or loss of alien chromosomes in hybrids.
Project description:This phase I clinical trial tests the immune effects of fermented wheat germ in patients with advanced solid tumor cancers who are being treated with standard of care checkpoint inhibitors. Fermented wheat germ is a nutritional supplement that some claim is a "dietary food for special medical purposes for cancer patients" to support them in treatment. There have also been claims that fermented wheat germ is "clinically proven" and "recognized by medical experts" to "enhance oncological treatment" and boost immune response to cancer; however, there are currently no documented therapeutic effects of fermented wheat germ as a nutritional supplement. Checkpoint inhibitors, given as part of standard of care for advanced solid tumors, are a type of immunotherapy that may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. The information gained from this trial may allow researchers to determine if there is any value of giving fermented wheat germ with standard of care checkpoint inhibitors for patients with advanced solid tumor malignancies.
Project description:Centromeres typically contain repeat sequences, but centromere function does not necessarily depend on these sequences. In aneuploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) and wheat distant hybridization offspring, we found functional centromeres with dramatic changes to centromeric retrotransposon of wheat (CRW) sequences. CRW sequences were greatly reduced in the ditelosomic lines 1BS, 5DS, 5DL, and a wheat-Thinopyrum elongatum addition line. CRWs were completely lost in the ditelosomic line 4DS, but a 994 kb ectopic genomic DNA sequence was involved in de novo centromere formation on the 4DS chromosome. In addition, two ectopic sequences were incorporated in a de novo centromere in a wheat-Th. intermedium addition line. Centromeric sequences were also expanded to the chromosome arm in wide hybridizations. Stable alien chromosomes with two and three regions containing centromeric sequences were found in wheat-Th. elongatum hybrid derivatives, but only one is functional. In wheat-rye (Secale cereale) hybrids, rye centromere specific sequences spread to the chromosome arm and may cause centromere expansion. Thus, distant wheat hybridizations cause frequent and significant changes to the centromere via centromere misdivision, which may affect retention or loss of alien chromosomes in hybrids. ChIP-seq was carried out with anti-CENH3 antibody using material 4DS and control (Chinese Spring, CS as short).
Project description:Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) are type members of Tritimovirus and Poacevirus genera, respectively, in the family Potyviridae, and are transmitted by wheat curl mites. Co-infection of these two viruses causes synergistic interaction with increased virus accumulation and disease severity in wheat. In this study, we examined the effects of synergistic interaction between WSMV and TriMV on endogenous small (s) RNAs and virus-specific small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs) in susceptible (Arapahoe) and temperature-sensitive resistant (Mace) wheat cultivars at 27ºC and 18ºC. Single- and double-infections in wheat caused a shift in the profile of endogenous sRNAs from 24 nt being the most predominant in healthy plants to 21 nt in infected wheat. Additionally, we report high-resolution vsiRNA maps of WSMV and TriMV in singly- and doubly-infected wheat cultivars Arapahoe and Mace at 18ºC and 27ºC. Massive amounts of 21 and 22 nt vsiRNA reads were accumulated in Arapahoe at both temperatures and in Mace at 27ºC but not at 18ºC. The plus- and minus-sense vsiRNAs were distributed throughout the genomic RNAs in Arapahoe at both temperature regimens and in Mace at 27ºC, although some regions of genomic RNAs serve as hot-spots with an excessive number of vsiRNAs. The positions of vsiRNA peaks were conserved among wheat cultivars Arapahoe and Mace, suggesting that Dicer-like enzymes of susceptible and resistant wheat cultivars are similarly accessed the genomic RNAs of WSMV and TriMV. Additionally, several cold-spot regions were found in the genomes of TriMV and WSMV with no or a few vsiRNAs, indicating that certain regions of WSMV and TriMV genomes are not accessible to Dicer-like enzymes. The high-resolution map of endogenous and vsiRNAs from wheat cultivars synergistically infected with WSMV and TriMV at two temperature regimens form a foundation for understanding the virus-host interactions, effect of synergistic interactions on host defense mechanisms, and virus resistance mechanisms in wheat.
Project description:Background: MicroRNAs regulate various biological processes in plants. Considerable data are available on miRNAs involved in the development of rice, maize and barley. In contrast, little is known about miRNAs and their functions in the development of wheat. In this study, five small RNA (sRNA) libraries from wheat seedlings, flag leaves, and developing seeds were developed and sequenced to identify miRNAs and understand their functions in wheat development. Results: Twenty-four known miRNAs belonging to 15 miRNA families were identified from 18 MIRNA loci in wheat in the present study, including 15 (9 MIRNA loci) first identified in wheat, 13 miRNA families (16 MIRNA loci) being highly conserved and 2 (2 MIRNAs loci) moderately conserved. In addition, fifty-five novel miRNAs were also identified. The potential target genes for 15 known miRNAs and 37 novel miRNAs were predicted using strict criteria, and these target genes are involved in a wide range of biological functions. Four of the 15 known miRNA families and 22 of the 55 novel miRNAs were preferentially expressed in the developing seeds with logarithm of the fold change of 1.0~7.6, and half of them were seed-specific, suggesting that they participate in regulating wheat seed development and metabolism. From 5 days post-anthesis to 20 days post-anthesis, miR164 and miR160 increased in abundance in developing seeds, whereas miR169 decreased, suggesting their coordinating functions in the different developmental stages of wheat seed. Moreover, eight known miRNA families and 28 novel miRNAs exhibited tissue-biased expression in wheat flag leaves, with the logarithm of the fold changes of 0.5~5.2. The putative targets of these tissue-preferential miRNAs were involved in various metabolism and biological processes, suggesting complexity of the regulatory networks in different tissues. Our data also suggested that wheat flag leaves have more complicated regulatory networks of miRNAs than developing seeds. Conclusions: Our work identified and characterised wheat miRNAs, their targets and expression patterns. This study is the first to elucidate the regulatory networks of miRNAs involved in wheat flag leaves and developing seeds, and provided a foundation for future studies on specific functions of these miRNAs.
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate target mRNAs by inducing degradation or preventing translation of their target mRNAs. Winter wheat, Triticum aestivum., is an important crop plant, yet there are only a few studies on the association of miRNAs and growth and development of winter wheat grown in the field. Here we carried out experimental analysis of miRNAs in wheat leaves by analyzing small RNA profiles at different growth stages.
Project description:Aegilops tauschii is the donor of the wheat D subgenome and an important genetic resource for wheat. The assembly of Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 reference genome sequence Aet v4.0 was therefore an important milestone for wheat biology and breeding. The combination of the > 4.2 Gb size of the Ae. tauschii genome and > 84% of recently evolved repeated sequences make sequencing this genome challenging. Here, we report further advances in the development of the Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 genome sequence. Two new genome-wide optical maps were constructed and employed in the revision of pseudomolecules and estimations of gap lengths. Gaps were closed with contigs of single-molecule Pacific Biosciences reads. The number of gaps in Aet v5.0 decreased by 38,899 compared to Aet v4.0. Transposable elements and protein-coding genes were reannotated. The number of high-confidence genes was reduced from 38,886 in Aet v4.0 to 32,980 in Aet v5.0. A nonredundant set of 478 biologically important genes including many of known function in wheat was manually annotated. Sixty-one microRNA precursor and 60 phasiRNA loci were discovered, annotated, and their expression was characterized. Also characterized was expression of other small RNAs, such as hc-siRNAs and tRFs. This upgraded genome sequence will facilitate the use of Ae. tauschii in wheat breeding and biological research. Aegilops tauschii is the donor of the wheat D subgenome and an important genetic resource for wheat. The assembly of Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 reference genome sequence Aet v4.0 was therefore an important milestone for wheat biology and breeding. The combination of the > 4.2 Gb size of the Ae. tauschii genome and > 84% of recently evolved repeated sequences make sequencing this genome challenging. Here, we report further advances in the development of the Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 genome sequence. Two new genome-wide optical maps were constructed and employed in the revision of pseudomolecules and estimations of gap lengths. Gaps were closed with contigs of single-molecule Pacific Biosciences reads. The number of gaps in Aet v5.0 decreased by 38,899 compared to Aet v4.0. Transposable elements and protein-coding genes were reannotated. The number of high-confidence genes was reduced from 38,886 in Aet v4.0 to 32,980 in Aet v5.0. A nonredundant set of 478 biologically important genes including many of known function in wheat was manually annotated. Sixty-one microRNA precursor and 60 phasiRNA loci were discovered, annotated, and their expression was characterized. Also characterized was expression of other small RNAs, such as hc-siRNAs and tRFs. This upgraded genome sequence will facilitate the use of Ae. tauschii in wheat breeding and biological research. Aegilops tauschii is the donor of the wheat D subgenome and an important genetic resource for wheat. The assembly of Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 reference genome sequence Aet v4.0 was therefore an important milestone for wheat biology and breeding. The combination of the > 4.2 Gb size of the Ae. tauschii genome and > 84% of recently evolved repeated sequences make sequencing this genome challenging. Here, we report further advances in the development of the Ae. tauschii acc. AL8/78 genome sequence. Two new genome-wide optical maps were constructed and employed in the revision of pseudomolecules and estimations of gap lengths. Gaps were closed with contigs of single-molecule Pacific Biosciences reads. The number of gaps in Aet v5.0 decreased by 38,899 compared to Aet v4.0. Transposable elements and protein-coding genes were reannotated. The number of high-confidence genes was reduced from 38,886 in Aet v4.0 to 32,980 in Aet v5.0. A nonredundant set of 478 biologically important genes including many of known function in wheat was manually annotated. Sixty-one microRNA precursor and 60 phasiRNA loci were discovered, annotated, and their expression was characterized. Also characterized was expression of other small RNAs, such as hc-siRNAs and tRFs. This upgraded genome sequence will facilitate the use of Ae. tauschii in wheat breeding and biological research.
Project description:Bread wheat is allohexaploid with 16 Gb genome, which has large intergenic region with abundant TEs and regulatory sequences . Our results give insight into the connections between chromatin modifications and transcriptional regulatory activity and provide the first systematic epigenomic map for functional annotation of the allohexaploid wheat genome.
Project description:We have a limited understanding of how the complexity of the wheat genome influences the distribution of chromatin states along the homoeologous chromosomes. Using a differential nuclease sensitivity (DNS) assay, we investigated the chromatin states in the coding and transposon element (TE) -rich repetitive regions of the allopolyploid wheat genome.