Project description:Analysis of leaves of wild-type and rice COI mutants treated with methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Results provide the role of rice COI on response to jasmonic acid.
Project description:Aim: To improve risk stratification in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), we aimed to identify genes in monocytes predictive of new ischemic events in patients with CAD and determine to what extent expression of these transcripts resembles expression in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Results: COX10 and ZNF484 distinguished between AMI and the whole group of stable CAD patients with an accuracy of 90%. COX10 and ZNF484 together with MT-COI and WNK1 distinguished AMI patients from stable CAD patients with and without a new event with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 98%. MT-COI and COX10 increased the accuracy for separating stable CAD patients with and without a new coronary event from 68 to 80% in addition to age, gender, BMI, diabetes, lipids, blood pressure and hs-CRP. Interestingly, expression of MT-COI, COX10 and WNK1 (but not ZNF484) in PBMCs paired with that in monocytes; COX10 in whole blood was similar to that in monocytes. Conclusions: This work showed that COX10 and ZNF484, eventually combined with MT-COI and WNK1 have the potential to accurately discriminate between AMI and stable CAD patients, and may improve the risk assessment of stable CAD patients.
Project description:We used single-cell sequencing data and imaging to investigate Eukaryotic plankton from environmental marine samples collected from Coogee, NSW, Australia.
Project description:Partial genome microarray and plankton cells RNA was isolated from biofilms and from planktonic cells grown in SD media. Samples were labeled with either Cy5 or Cy3. Four independent biological replicates were compared, including dye swaps.
Project description:Coilin is a scaffold protein essential for the structural integrity of Cajal Bodies, which are non-membranous nuclear organelles that are thought to facilitate assembly and maturation of nuclear RNPs, including spliceosomal snRNPs. To investigate further coilin’s functions in plant cells, and to identify proteins that may functionally interact with coilin, we performed a genetic suppressor screen in Arabidopsis thaliana using a coilin (coi) mutant displaying altered splicing of a GFP pre-mRNA. The modified splicing pattern results in a ‘hyper-GFP’ phenotype in young coi seedlings relative to the intermediate level of GFP in wild-type seedlings. Additionally, in newly emerging leaves of older coi seedlings, the GFP gene frequently undergoes abrupt siRNA-associated posttranscriptional gene silencing that persists during growth. In the suppressor screen, we searched for mutations that subdue one or both of these GFP phenotypes and identified several understudied factors in plants: WRAP53, a putative Cajal body protein; SMU2, a predicted splicing-related factor; and ZC3HC1, an uncharacterized zinc finger protein. All three mutations return the hyper-GFP phenotype of the coi mutant to approximately the intermediate wild-type level. The zc3hc1 mutations in particular induce premature and more extensive posttranscriptional gene silencing similar to mutations in SOP1 and DCL4, which are known modifiers of posttranscriptional gene silencing. Candidate coilin-interacting proteins identified by immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry include many splicing-related factors, nucleolar proteins, and mRNA export factors. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the coi mutant to identify new modifiers of alternative splicing and posttranscriptional gene silencing, and suggest diverse roles for coilin in plant cells.
Project description:In this study we applied MASC-seq (massive and parallel microarray sequencing, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13182), a scRNA-seq method that facilitates sequencing of thousands of cells in parallel, and that couples microscope images with the single cell transcriptome data. For this method, fixed cells are spread over a microarray with 100 μm-sized spots of DNA capture probes with spot-specific indices. The cells are first imaged using a scanning microscope and then permeabilized, releasing their RNA out of the cells and bind to the probes on the array. cDNA is synthesized, harvested and sequenced, and, using the spot-specific barcode-sequences, cDNA sequences stemming from a specific spot (i.e., cell) can be linked to the microscope image of the corresponding cell. However, until now, the MASC-seq method has only been applied to mammalian cells. The aim of this study was to test and adapt the MASC-seq method for application on unicellular eukaryotic plankton. We applied and optimized the method on three cultured plankton representatives, abundant in communities of aquatic environments, Phaeodactylum tricornutum (a diatom, silica and polysaccharide cell walls 23), Heterocapsa sp. (a dinoflagellate, cellulose thecal plates 24) and Tetrahymena thermophila (a ciliate, lipid membrane 25) which all have different size and diverse cell surface structures common to plankton. We optimized several steps in the protocol to make it more suitable for planktonic cells and compared the results from MASC-seq generated single cell transcriptomes to bulk RNA sequencing.
Project description:This is the first view of Daphnia single-cell transcriptomics-based cell atlas. Daphnia is a freshwater plankton crustacean which is both a classic and emerging new model for eco-physiology, toxicology, and evolutionary genomics. We were able to identify over 30 distinct cell types about half of which could be functionally annotated.