Project description:Ovule development is a key process for plant reproduction that ensures correct seed production. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that control ovule formation will also provide new approaches to increase crop yield for breeding. Several molecular factors and plant hormones, including gibberellins, are involved in ovule initiation and development. Gibberellins control ovule development by the destabilization of DELLA proteins, whereas DELLA activity has been proved to act as a positive factor for ovule primordia emergence. But the molecular mechanism by which DELLA act remained unknown. Here we have proved that DELLA proteins control ovule initiation by the formation of a protein complex with the CUC2 transcription factor. The DELLA protein GAI requires CUC2 to promote ovule primordia formation, thus GAI would function by its direct protein-protein interaction with CUC2 in cells of the placenta that determine the boundary regions between ovules during pistil development. Analysis of GAI-CUC2 interaction and colocalization in placenta support this hypothesis. Moreover, molecular analysis of the loci at which GAI protein may act as transcriptional co-regulators in a CUC2-dependent manner identified a subset of target genes that would be regulated by the GAI-CUC2 complex and contribute to regulate ovule primordia emergence.
Project description:The hormones gibberellins (GA) control many aspects of plant growth and development thruough the whole life cycle of the plant. For instance, GA participate in the establishment of the skotomorphogenic developmental program that is triggered when seeds germinate in darkness, i.e. under the soil. Under these conditions seedlings appear etiolated and developmental features usually triggered by light are kept repressed. The GA signaling elements GAI and RGA have a major, partially redundant role in this process. These proteins belong to the DELLA family of transcriptional regulators and are destabilized by GA, acting as negative regulators of the pathway. In order to understand the molecular basis of the regulation of the skotomorphogenesis by GA, we sought to identify early target genes of the activity of GAI in etiolated seedlings. For that purpose we analyzed rapid, global changes in gene expression in response to a transient accummulation of a dominant version of GAI, gai-1, which is resistant to GA-induced destabilization.
Project description:Gut microbiota were assessed in 540 colonoscopy-screened adults by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of stool samples. Investigators compared gut microbiota diversity, overall composition, and normalized taxon abundance among these groups.
Project description:The hormones gibberellins (GA) control many aspects of plant growth and development thruough the whole life cycle of the plant. For instance, GA participate in the establishment of the skotomorphogenic developmental program that is triggered when seeds germinate in darkness, i.e. under the soil. Under these conditions seedlings appear etiolated and developmental features usually triggered by light are kept repressed. The GA signaling elements GAI and RGA have a major, partially redundant role in this process. These proteins belong to the DELLA family of transcriptional regulators and are destabilized by GA, acting as negative regulators of the pathway. In order to understand the molecular basis of the regulation of the skotomorphogenesis by GA, we sought to identify early target genes of the activity of GAI in etiolated seedlings. For that purpose we analyzed rapid, global changes in gene expression in response to a transient accummulation of a dominant version of GAI, gai-1, which is resistant to GA-induced destabilization. Experiments were performed using wild type Col-0 and the transgenic line HS:gai-1 that expresses the dominant version gai-1 under the control of the promoter of the HSP18.2 gene, which is highly and rapidly induced at 37ºC. Three biological repeats were performed, and wild type and transgenic samples were labelled with Cy3 and Cy5, respectively. For each point in the time course (0, 1, 2 and 4h after a 30 minute treatment at 37ºC), a sample from the transgenic line was compared to the corresponding wild type control.
Project description:Primary outcome(s): Analysis of the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome by 16S rRNA sequencing
Study Design: Observational Study Model : Others, Time Perspective : Prospective, Enrollment : 60, Biospecimen Retention : Collect & Archive- Sample with DNA, Biospecimen Description : Blood, Stool
Project description:We found that mainstream cigarette smoking (4 cigarettes/day, 5 days/week for 2 weeks using Kentucky Research Cigarettes 3R4F) resulted in >20% decrease in the percentage of normal Paneth cell population in Atg16l1 T300A mice but showed minimal effect in wildtype littermate control mice, indicating that Atg16l1 T300A polymorphism confers sensitivity to cigarette smoking-induced Paneth cell damage. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing to identify potential microbiota changes associated with Paneth cell defect in Atg16l1 T300A mice exposed to cigarette smoking. Female mice were used at 4-5 weeks of age. Cigarette smoking was performed using smoking chamber with the dosage and schedule as described above. The fecal samples from the mice were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing analysis after completing 6 weeks of smoking.