Project description:The objective in this study was to develop and characterize the chemistry and genetics of a collection of feral hemp germplasm from across Nebraska for use in a hemp breeding program. An additional goal was to compare the chemistry and genetics of male and female flower structures. RNA was extracted from isolated, dissected flower tissue of one female and one male plant from each of three populations (total six samples). These plants were derived from seeds collected in Knox, Madison, and Merrick counties. Illumina reads were obtained from the RNA extracts, mapped onto a C. sativa reference genome, and gene expression levels were determined.
Project description:Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP) is associated with persistent immune activation after sodium normalization, suggesting immune “salt memory.” Prior work identified that sodium entry into antigen-presenting cells (APCs) via epithelial sodium channels triggers NLRP3 inflammasome activation through the formation of isolevuglandins (IsoLGs), highly reactive lipid aldehydes. IsoLG scavenging with 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) reduces NLRP3 expression and attenuates salt-induced hypertension, implicating IsoLGs as upstream immune regulators. This study tested whether IsoLGs also act as epigenetic modifiers by covalently modifying histone H1, thereby altering chromatin accessibility at inflammatory loci such as NLRP3. PBMCs from 10 hypertensive adults classified as salt-sensitive (SS) or salt-resistant (SR) were collected at baseline, after salt loading, and after depletion. Integrated single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq revealed that SS monocytes exhibited salt-induced enhancer activation and increased chromatin accessibility at the NLRP3 locus. IsoLG–protein adducts correlated with blood pressure changes and were most prominent in CD14⁺ monocytes. In murine APCs, high salt induced IsoLG adduction of histone H1, attenuated by 2-HOBA. Knockdown of H1F0 reduced high salt–induced NLRP3 expression, supporting a role for H1.0 in transcriptional regulation. These findings identify IsoLG modification of histone H1 as a potential mechanism linking extracellular sodium exposure to persistent chromatin remodeling and sustained inflammatory gene expression in SS individuals. IsoLG–histone adducts may represent novel therapeutic targets for immune-driven hypertension.
Project description:Seven different Solanaceae species, Potato (Solanum tubersosum), Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), Eggplant (Solanum melangena), Pepper (Capsicum annuum), Tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum), Petunia and Nicotiana benthiamana were subjected to salt stress. The stress applied was 150mM NaCl and control plants were watered without the additional salt. Samples were collected at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 96 hours after the first application of the salt. RNA was isolated using Qiagen RNeasy. Keywords: Direct comparison
Project description:Five allotetraploid cotton species have adapted, through their transcriptional responses, to unique environments with distinct levels of inherent abiotic stresses. The transcriptional responses of leaf and root tissue in five allotetraploid cotton species (Gossypium hirsutum, G. barbadense, G. tomentosum, G. mustelinum, and G. darwinii) under salt stress have been investigated in this study using cotton long oligonucleotide microarrays. Physiological responses to salinity such as stomatal conductance, ion and osmoprotectant contents were also measured as indicators of imposed stress. Accessions from these five cotton species were hydroponically grown and gradually introduced to a NaCl treatment (15 dS m-1). The microarray results identified 2721 and 2460 differentially expressed genes under salt stress that were significant in leaf and root tissue, respectively. Many of these genes were classified under gene ontology (GO) categories that suggest abiotic stress. These allotetraploid cottons shared transcriptional responses to salinity, but also showed responses that were species-specific. No consistent differences in transcriptional response among the previously estimated phylogenetic branches were found. Stomatal conductance, ion accumulation, and betaine, trigonelline, and trehalose contents also indicated salt stress. This global assessment of transcriptional and physiological responses to salt stress of these cotton species may identify possible gene targets for crop improvement and evolutionary studies of cotton. Keywords: CEGC Cotton oligo salt stress
Project description:The complete genome sequences of four Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteriophages, UNO-SLW1 to UNO-SLW4, isolated from freshwater samples, are 39,092 to 39,215 bp long. The genomes are highly similar (identity, >0.995) but dissimilar from that of Pseudomonas phage Pf-10 (the closest relative, 0.685 to 0.686 identity), with 48 to 49 protein-coding genes and 66 regulatory sites predicted.
Project description:Salt marshes provide many key ecosystem services that have tremendous ecological and economic value. One critical service is the removal of fixed nitrogen from coastal waters, which limits the negative effects of eutrophication resulting from increased nutrient supply. Nutrient enrichment of salt marsh sediments results in higher rates of nitrogen cycling and, commonly, a concurrent increase in the flux of nitrous oxide, an important greenhouse gas. Little is known, however, regarding controls on the microbial communities that contribute to nitrous oxide fluxes in marsh sediments. To address this disconnect, we generated microbial community profiles as well as directly assayed nitrogen cycling genes that encode the enzymes responsible for overall nitrous oxide flux from salt marsh sediments. We hypothesized that communities of microbes responsible for nitrogen transformations will be structured by nitrogen availability. Taxa that respond positively to high nitrogen inputs may be responsible for the elevated rates of nitrogen cycling processes measured in fertilized sediments. Our data show that, with the exception of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, the community composition of organisms responsible for production and consumption of nitrous oxide was altered under nutrient enrichment. These results suggest that elevated rates of nitrous oxide production and consumption are the result of changes in community structure, not simply changes in microbial activity.