Project description:Three 2cm segments were excised from different parts (TOP, MID, BOT) along the vertical axis of a 4 week old (25cm) stem of flax (L. usitatissimum) were compared using a cDNA amplicon array. Each segment represented a different developmental stage, especially in relation to bast fibre differentiation (i.e. TOP= elongation, MID=transition, BOT= thickening). Only the cDNAs that showed the highest differential expression were sequenced.
Project description:Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was employed for identification of differential DNA methylation profiles among control and heat-stressed seedlings of a fibre flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) var., JRF-2. It was identified as a tolerant variety of heat stress-induced oxidative damage. High-quality genomic DNA from four samples comprised 3-week-old control and heat-stressed (40±2°C) seedlings, with or without treated with 5-Azacytidine (hypomethylating agent). High-quality and filtered paired-end Illumina reads were aligned to the flax reference genome, assembled in chromosomes, using bwa-meth tool, followed by methylation loci (5-mC) calling using the MethylDackel software. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between the control and other samples were identified using the methylKit and annotated using genomation package for their precedence in the promoter/exon/intron/intergenic regions. The DMRs comprised both hyper- and hypomethylated loci, but the latter found dominated due to heat stress in flax seedlings. The WGBS in flax for heat stress will provide a platform to identify epigenetic loci responsible for heat-stress adaptation in flax.
Project description:The objective of this project is identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes which are associated with higher omega-3 fatty acids deposition in beef cows. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to influence meat flavor and are beneficial to human health. Supplementation of livestock diets with flaxseed, a rich source of ë±-linolenic acid, is the most common means of producing omega-3 fatty acid-enriched animal products. Towards the goal of enhancing beef fatty acid composition, 64 crossbred cull cows (~30 months of age) with similar breed composition were randomized by weight/body condition, and fed one of four 50:50 forage:concentrate diets on a DM basis (16 cows/treatment), containing ground barley grain with either hay or silage, supplemented with 0 or 15% ground flaxseed (DM basis). Cows were slaughtered after spending 140 days on the treatment diets. Five cows from each of the four diets were selected for transcriptional analysis based on FA profiles of the kidney fat collected at slaughter. RNA was isolated from Longissimus thoracis muscle, subcutaneous and kidney fat of each cow (20 samples/tissue) and hybridized in duplicate to BOMC 24K 60-mer microarrays. Differential gene expression between flax-fed and non-flax-fed cows as well as identifying those genes associated with fatty acid metabolism were studied.