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Shi M, Wang C, Wang P, Yun F, Liu Z, Ye F, Wei L, Liao W. Role of methylation in vernalization and photoperiod pathway: a potential flowering regulator? HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad174. [PMID: 37841501 PMCID: PMC10569243 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Recognized as a pivotal developmental transition, flowering marks the continuation of a plant's life cycle. Vernalization and photoperiod are two major flowering pathways orchestrating numerous florigenic signals. Methylation, including histone, DNA and RNA methylation, is one of the recent foci in plant development. Considerable studies reveal that methylation seems to show an increasing potential regulatory role in plant flowering via altering relevant gene expression without altering the genetic basis. However, little has been reviewed about whether and how methylation acts on vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering before and after FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) reactivation, what role RNA methylation plays in vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering, how methylation participates simultaneously in both vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering, the heritability of methylation memory under the vernalization/photoperiod pathway, and whether and how methylation replaces vernalization/photoinduction to regulate flowering. Our review provides insight about the crosstalk among the genetic control of the flowering gene network, methylation (methyltransferases/demethylases) and external signals (cold, light, sRNA and phytohormones) in vernalization and photoperiod pathways. The existing evidence that RNA methylation may play a potential regulatory role in vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering has been gathered and represented for the first time. This review speculates about and discusses the possibility of substituting methylation for vernalization and photoinduction to promote flowering. Current evidence is utilized to discuss the possibility of future methylation reagents becoming flowering regulators at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meimei Shi
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Chunlei Wang
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Vegetable and Flower Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Fahong Yun
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Zhiya Liu
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Fujin Ye
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Lijuan Wei
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Weibiao Liao
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
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Akter A, Kakizaki T, Itabashi E, Kunita K, Shimizu M, Akter MA, Mehraj H, Okazaki K, Dennis ES, Fujimoto R. Characterization of FLOWERING LOCUS C 5 in Brassica rapa L. MOLECULAR BREEDING : NEW STRATEGIES IN PLANT IMPROVEMENT 2023; 43:58. [PMID: 37484542 PMCID: PMC10356691 DOI: 10.1007/s11032-023-01405-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Brassica rapa L., which includes Chinese cabbage, turnip, and pak choi, has more complex flowering time regulation than does Arabidopsis thaliana due to the presence of multiple paralogous flowering time genes. FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is one of the key genes regulating the flowering time, and B. rapa has four FLC paralogs. BrFLC5 on the reference genome is deemed a pseudogene because of a mutation (from G to A) in the splice site of the third intron, but there are some accessions with a G nucleotide in the splice site. In this study, we genotyped 310 B. rapa accessions and found that 19 had homozygous and 81 had heterozygous putative functional BrFLC5 alleles. Accessions of turnip showed the highest proportion with a functional BrFLC5 allele. BrFLC5 acts as a floral repressor when overexpressed in A. thaliana. The BrFLC5 expression level varied in pre-vernalized plants, and this transcriptional variation was not associated with the G/A polymorphism in the third intron. Three accessions having a higher BrFLC5 expression in pre-vernalized plants had a 584-bp insertion in the promoter region. Many regions homologous to this 584-bp sequence are present in the B. rapa genome, and this 584-bp inserted region has tandem duplications of an AT-rich sequence in its central region. The possibility that a high expression of a functional BrFLC5 could contribute to producing premature bolting-resistant lines in B. rapa vegetables is discussed. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01405-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayasha Akter
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
- Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202 Bangladesh
| | - Tomohiro Kakizaki
- Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, NARO, Kusawa, Ano, Tsu, Mie 514-2392 Japan
| | - Etsuko Itabashi
- Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, NARO, Kusawa, Ano, Tsu, Mie 514-2392 Japan
| | - Kohei Kunita
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
| | - Motoki Shimizu
- Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, Narita, Kitakami, Iwate, 024-0003 Japan
| | - Mst. Arjina Akter
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
- Department of Plant Pathology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202 Bangladesh
| | - Hasan Mehraj
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
| | - Keiichi Okazaki
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, 950-2181 Japan
| | - Elizabeth S. Dennis
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, ACT, Canberra, 2601 Australia
- Faculty of Science, School of Life Science, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia
| | - Ryo Fujimoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
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Wang L, Feng Y, Wang J, Jin X, Zhang Q, Ackah M, Wang Y, Xu D, Zhao W. ATAC-seq exposes differences in chromatin accessibility leading to distinct leaf shapes in mulberry. PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e464. [PMID: 36540416 PMCID: PMC9755926 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Mulberry leaf shape is an important agronomic trait indicating yield, growth, development, and habitat variation. China was the earliest country in the world to grow mulberry for sericulture, and it is also one of the great contributions of the Chinese nation to human civilization. ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin using sequencing) is a recently developed technique for genome-wide analysis of chromatin accessibility. The samples used for ATAC sequencing in this study were divided into two groups of whole leaves (CK-1 and CK-2) and lobed leaves (HL-1 and HL-2), with two replicates in each group. The related motif analysis, differential expression motif screening, and functional annotation of mulberry leaf shape differences were performed by raw letter analysis to finally obtain the transcription factors (TFs) that lead to the production of heteromorphic leaves. These transcription factors are common in plants, especially the TCP family, shown to be associated with leaf development and growth in other woody plants and are a potential transcription factor responsible for leaf shape differences in mulberry. Dissecting the regulatory mechanisms of leaf shape of different forms of mulberry leaves by ATAC-seq is an important way to protect mulberry germplasm resources and improve mulberry yield. It is conducive to cultivating mulberry varieties with high resistance to adversity, promoting the sustainable development of sericulture, and protecting and improving the ecological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Yuming Feng
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Jiangying Wang
- Leisure Agriculture LaboratoryLianyungang Academy of Agricultural SciencesLianyungangChina
| | - Xin Jin
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Qiaonan Zhang
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Michael Ackah
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Yuhua Wang
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
| | - Dayong Xu
- Leisure Agriculture LaboratoryLianyungang Academy of Agricultural SciencesLianyungangChina
| | - Weiguo Zhao
- School of Biology and TechnologyJiangsu University of Science and TechnologyZhenjiangChina
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Cruzan MB, Streisfeld MA, Schwoch JA. Fitness effects of somatic mutations accumulating during vegetative growth. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10188-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe unique life form of plants promotes the accumulation of somatic mutations that can be passed to offspring in the next generation, because the same meristem cells responsible for vegetative growth also generate gametes for sexual reproduction. However, little is known about the consequences of somatic mutation accumulation for offspring fitness. We evaluate the fitness effects of somatic mutations in Mimulus guttatus by comparing progeny from self-pollinations made within the same flower (autogamy) to progeny from self-pollinations made between stems on the same plant (geitonogamy). The effects of somatic mutations are evident from this comparison, as autogamy leads to homozygosity of a proportion of somatic mutations, but progeny from geitonogamy remain heterozygous for mutations unique to each stem. In two different experiments, we find consistent fitness effects of somatic mutations from individual stems. Surprisingly, several progeny groups from autogamous crosses displayed increases in fitness compared to progeny from geitonogamy crosses, likely indicating that beneficial somatic mutations occurred in some stems. These results support the hypothesis that somatic mutations accumulate during vegetative growth, but they are filtered by different forms of selection that occur throughout development, resulting in the culling of expressed deleterious mutations and the retention of beneficial mutations.
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Poza-Viejo L, Payá-Milans M, San Martín-Uriz P, Castro-Labrador L, Lara-Astiaso D, Wilkinson MD, Piñeiro M, Jarillo JA, Crevillén P. Conserved and distinct roles of H3K27me3 demethylases regulating flowering time in Brassica rapa. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1428-1441. [PMID: 35037269 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation is necessary for optimal organism development and preservation of gene expression profiles in the cell. In plants, the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is a silencing epigenetic mark relevant for developmental transitions like flowering. The floral transition is a key agronomic trait; however, the epigenetic mechanisms of flowering time regulation in crops remain poorly understood. Here we study the Jumonji H3K27me3 demethylases BraA.REF6 and BraA.ELF6 in Brassica rapa. Phenotypic characterization of novel mutant lines and genome-wide H3K27me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcriptomic analyses indicated that BraA.REF6 plays a greater role than BraA.ELF6 in fine-tuning H3K27me3 levels. In addition, we found that braA.elf6 mutants were early flowering due to high H3K27me3 levels at B. rapa homologs of the floral repressor FLC. Unlike mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana, braA.ref6 mutants were late flowering without altering the expression of B. rapa FLC genes. Remarkably, we found that BraA.REF6 regulated a number of gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthetic genes, including a homolog of GA1, and that GA-treatment complemented the late flowering mutant phenotype. This study increases our understanding of the epigenetic regulation of flowering time in B. rapa, highlighting conserved and distinct regulatory mechanisms between model and crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Poza-Viejo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miriam Payá-Milans
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patxi San Martín-Uriz
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Laura Castro-Labrador
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - David Lara-Astiaso
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Mark D Wilkinson
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Piñeiro
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A Jarillo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Crevillén
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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Gomez-Cabellos S, Toorop PE, Cañal MJ, Iannetta PPM, Fernández-Pascual E, Pritchard HW, Visscher AM. Global DNA methylation and cellular 5-methylcytosine and H4 acetylated patterns in primary and secondary dormant seeds of Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. (shepherd's purse). PROTOPLASMA 2022; 259:595-614. [PMID: 34212249 PMCID: PMC9010400 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-021-01678-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite the importance of dormancy and dormancy cycling for plants' fitness and life cycle phenology, a comprehensive characterization of the global and cellular epigenetic patterns across space and time in different seed dormancy states is lacking. Using Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik. (shepherd's purse) seeds with primary and secondary dormancy, we investigated the dynamics of global genomic DNA methylation and explored the spatio-temporal distribution of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and histone H4 acetylated (H4Ac) epigenetic marks. Seeds were imbibed at 30 °C in a light regime to maintain primary dormancy, or in darkness to induce secondary dormancy. An ELISA-based method was used to quantify DNA methylation, in relation to total genomic cytosines. Immunolocalization of 5-mC and H4Ac within whole seeds (i.e., including testa) was assessed with reference to embryo anatomy. Global DNA methylation levels were highest in prolonged (14 days) imbibed primary dormant seeds, with more 5-mC marked nuclei present only in specific parts of the seed (e.g., SAM and cotyledons). In secondary dormant seeds, global methylation levels and 5-mC signal where higher at 3 and 7 days than 1 or 14 days. With respect to acetylation, seeds had fewer H4Ac marked nuclei (e.g., SAM) in deeper dormant states, for both types of dormancy. However, the RAM still showed signal after 14 days of imbibition under dormancy-inducing conditions, suggesting a central role for the radicle/RAM in the response to perceived ambient changes and the adjustment of the seed dormancy state. Thus, we show that seed dormancy involves extensive cellular remodeling of DNA methylation and H4 acetylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Gomez-Cabellos
- Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN West Sussex UK
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Peter E. Toorop
- Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN West Sussex UK
| | - María Jesús Cañal
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | | | - Eduardo Fernández-Pascual
- Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Hugh W. Pritchard
- Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN West Sussex UK
| | - Anne M. Visscher
- Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, RH17 6TN West Sussex UK
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Transcriptional Association between mRNAs and Their Paired Natural Antisense Transcripts Following Fusarium oxysporum Inoculation in Brassica rapa L. HORTICULTURAE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae8010017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in abiotic and biotic stress responses; however, studies on the mechanism of regulation of lncRNA expression are limited in plants. The present study examined the relationship between lncRNA expression level and two active histone modifications (H3K4me3 and H3K36me3) in Brassica rapa. Both histone marks were enriched in the chromatin regions encoding lncRNAs, especially around the transcription start site. The transcription level of long intergenic noncoding RNAs was positively associated with the level of H3K4me3 and H3K36me3, while this association was not observed in natural antisense RNAs (NATs) and intronic noncoding RNAs. As coordinate expression of mRNAs and paired NATs under biotic stress treatment has been identified, the transcriptional relationship between mRNAs and their paired NATs following Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans (Foc) inoculation was examined. A positive association of expression levels between mRNAs and their paired NATs following Foc inoculation was observed. This association held for several defense-response-related genes and their NAT pairs. These results suggest that coordinate expression of mRNAs and paired NATs plays a role in the defense response against Foc.
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Whole-transcriptome sequencing reveals a vernalization-related ceRNA regulatory network in chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis). BMC Genomics 2021; 22:819. [PMID: 34773977 PMCID: PMC8590779 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08110-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth involves various pathways. Vernalization is a crucial process for floral organ formation and regulation of flowering time that is widely utilized in plant breeding. In this study, we aimed to identify the global landscape of mRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) related to vernalization in Chinese cabbage. These data were then used to construct a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network that provides valuable information to better understand the vernalization response. RESULTS In this study, seeds sampled from the Chinese cabbage doubled haploid (DH) line 'FT' with or without vernalization treatment were used for whole-transcriptome sequencing. A total of 2702 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs, 151 DE lncRNAs, 16 DE circRNAs, and 233 DE miRNAs were identified in the vernalization-treated seeds. Various transcription factors, such as WRKY, MYB, NAC, bHLH, MADS-box, zinc finger protein CONSTANS-like gene, and B3 domain protein, and regulatory proteins that play important roles in the vernalization pathway were identified. Additionally, we constructed a vernalization-related ceRNA-miRNA-target gene network and obtained 199 pairs of ceRNA relationships, including 108 DEmiRNA‒DEmRNA, 67 DEmiRNA‒DElncRNA, and 12 DEmiRNA‒DEcircRNA interactions, in Chinese cabbage. Furthermore, several important vernalization-related genes and their interacting lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs, which are involved in the regulation of flowering time, floral organ formation, bolting, and flowering, were identified. CONCLUSIONS Our results reveal the potential mRNA and non-coding RNAs involved in vernalization, providing a foundation for further studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying vernalization in Chinese cabbage.
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Genome-wide analysis of long noncoding RNAs, 24-nt siRNAs, DNA methylation and H3K27me3 marks in Brassica rapa. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0242530. [PMID: 33788851 PMCID: PMC8011741 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA fragments that generally do not code for a protein but are involved in epigenetic gene regulation. In this study, lncRNAs of Brassica rapa were classified into long intergenic noncoding RNAs, natural antisense RNAs, and intronic noncoding RNAs and their expression analyzed in relation to genome-wide 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), DNA methylation, and histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation marks (H3K27me3). More than 65% of the lncRNAs analyzed consisted of one exon, and more than 55% overlapped with inverted repeat regions (IRRs). Overlap of lncRNAs with IRRs or genomic regions encoding for 24-nt siRNAs resulted in increased DNA methylation levels when both were present. LncRNA did not overlap greatly with H3K27me3 marks, but the expression level of intronic noncoding RNAs that did coincide with H3K27me3 marks was higher than without H3K27me3 marks. The Brassica genus comprises important vegetables and oil seed crops grown across the world. B. rapa is a diploid (AA genome) thought to be one of the ancestral species of both B. juncea (AABB genome) and B. napus (AACC) through genome merging (allotetrapolyploidization). Complex genome restructuring and epigenetic alterations are thought to be involved in these allotetrapolyploidization events. Comparison of lncRNAs between B. rapa and B. nigra, B. oleracea, B. juncea, and B. napus showed the highest conservation with B. oleracea. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the epigenome structure of B. rapa at multi-epigenetic levels (siRNAs, DNA methylation, H3K27me3, and lncRNAs) and identified a suite of candidate lncRNAs that may be epigenetically regulated in the Brassica genus.
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Yu X, Yang Q, Wang D, Li Z, Chen N, Kong DX. Predicting lung adenocarcinoma disease progression using methylation-correlated blocks and ensemble machine learning classifiers. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10884. [PMID: 33628643 PMCID: PMC7894106 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Applying the knowledge that methyltransferases and demethylases can modify adjacent cytosine-phosphorothioate-guanine (CpG) sites in the same DNA strand, we found that combining multiple CpGs into a single block may improve cancer diagnosis. However, survival prediction remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a pipeline named "stacked ensemble of machine learning models for methylation-correlated blocks" (EnMCB) that combined Cox regression, support vector regression (SVR), and elastic-net models to construct signatures based on DNA methylation-correlated blocks for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) survival prediction. We used methylation profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as the training set, and profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) as validation and testing sets. First, we partitioned the genome into blocks of tightly co-methylated CpG sites, which we termed methylation-correlated blocks (MCBs). After partitioning and feature selection, we observed different diagnostic capacities for predicting patient survival across the models. We combined the multiple models into a single stacking ensemble model. The stacking ensemble model based on the top-ranked block had the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.622 in the TCGA training set, 0.773 in the validation set, and 0.698 in the testing set. When stratified by clinicopathological risk factors, the risk score predicted by the top-ranked MCB was an independent prognostic factor. Our results showed that our pipeline was a reliable tool that may facilitate MCB selection and survival prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qian Yang
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zhaoyang Li
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Nianhang Chen
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - De-Xin Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Jha UC, Nayyar H, Jha R, Khurshid M, Zhou M, Mantri N, Siddique KHM. Long non-coding RNAs: emerging players regulating plant abiotic stress response and adaptation. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 20:466. [PMID: 33046001 PMCID: PMC7549229 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-020-02595-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The immobile nature of plants means that they can be frequently confronted by various biotic and abiotic stresses during their lifecycle. Among the various abiotic stresses, water stress, temperature extremities, salinity, and heavy metal toxicity are the major abiotic stresses challenging overall plant growth. Plants have evolved complex molecular mechanisms to adapt under the given abiotic stresses. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)-a diverse class of RNAs that contain > 200 nucleotides(nt)-play an essential role in plant adaptation to various abiotic stresses. RESULTS LncRNAs play a significant role as 'biological regulators' for various developmental processes and biotic and abiotic stress responses in animals and plants at the transcription, post-transcription, and epigenetic level, targeting various stress-responsive mRNAs, regulatory gene(s) encoding transcription factors, and numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate the expression of different genes. However, the mechanistic role of lncRNAs at the molecular level, and possible target gene(s) contributing to plant abiotic stress response and adaptation, remain largely unknown. Here, we review various types of lncRNAs found in different plant species, with a focus on understanding the complex molecular mechanisms that contribute to abiotic stress tolerance in plants. We start by discussing the biogenesis, type and function, phylogenetic relationships, and sequence conservation of lncRNAs. Next, we review the role of lncRNAs controlling various abiotic stresses, including drought, heat, cold, heavy metal toxicity, and nutrient deficiency, with relevant examples from various plant species. Lastly, we briefly discuss the various lncRNA databases and the role of bioinformatics for predicting the structural and functional annotation of novel lncRNAs. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the intricate molecular mechanisms of stress-responsive lncRNAs is in its infancy. The availability of a comprehensive atlas of lncRNAs across whole genomes in crop plants, coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms that regulate various abiotic stress responses, will enable us to use lncRNAs as potential biomarkers for tailoring abiotic stress-tolerant plants in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uday Chand Jha
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur, 208024, India.
| | - Harsh Nayyar
- Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Rintu Jha
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Muhammad Khurshid
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Meiliang Zhou
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Nitin Mantri
- School of Science, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora. Victoria. 3083., Australia
| | - Kadambot H M Siddique
- The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6001, Australia.
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12
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Akter A, Takahashi S, Deng W, Shea DJ, Itabashi E, Shimizu M, Miyaji N, Osabe K, Nishida N, Suzuki Y, Helliwell CA, Seki M, Peacock WJ, Dennis ES, Fujimoto R. The histone modification H3 lysine 27 tri-methylation has conserved gene regulatory roles in the triplicated genome of Brassica rapa L. DNA Res 2020; 26:433-443. [PMID: 31622476 PMCID: PMC6796510 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsz021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Brassica rapa L. is an important vegetable and oilseed crop. We investigated the distribution of the histone mark tri-methylation of H3K27 (H3K27me3) in B. rapa and its role in the control of gene expression at two stages of development (2-day cotyledons and 14-day leaves) and among paralogs in the triplicated genome. H3K27me3 has a similar distribution in two inbred lines, while there was variation of H3K27me3 sites between tissues. Sites that are specific to 2-day cotyledons have increased transcriptional activity, and low levels of H3K27me3 in the gene body region. In 14-day leaves, levels of H3K27me3 were associated with decreased gene expression. In the triplicated genome, H3K27me3 is associated with paralogs that have tissue-specific expression. Even though B. rapa and Arabidopsis thaliana are not closely related within the Brassicaceae, there is conservation of H3K27me3-marked sites in the two species. Both B. rapa and A. thaliana require vernalization for floral initiation with FLC being the major controlling locus. In all four BrFLC paralogs, low-temperature treatment increases H3K27me3 at the proximal nucleation site reducing BrFLC expression. Following return to normal temperature growth conditions, H3K27me3 spreads along all four BrFLC paralogs providing stable repression of the gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayasha Akter
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Satoshi Takahashi
- Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Weiwei Deng
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Daniel J Shea
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Etsuko Itabashi
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Motoki Shimizu
- Department of Genomics and Breeding, Iwate Biotechnology Research Center, Narita, Kitakami, Iwate, Japan
| | - Naomi Miyaji
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kenji Osabe
- Plant Epigenetics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Namiko Nishida
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | | | - Motoaki Seki
- Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.,Cluster for Pioneering Research, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama, Japan.,Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - William James Peacock
- Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Department of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth S Dennis
- Agriculture and Food, CSIRO, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Department of Life Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Ryo Fujimoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
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13
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Akter A, Itabashi E, Kakizaki T, Okazaki K, Dennis ES, Fujimoto R. Genome Triplication Leads to Transcriptional Divergence of FLOWERING LOCUS C Genes During Vernalization in the Genus Brassica. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:619417. [PMID: 33633752 PMCID: PMC7900002 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.619417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The genus Brassica includes oil crops, vegetables, condiments, fodder crops, and ornamental plants. Brassica species underwent a whole genome triplication event after speciation between ancestral species of Brassica and closely related genera including Arabidopsis thaliana. Diploid species such as Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea have three copies of genes orthologous to each A. thaliana gene, although deletion in one or two of the three homologs has occurred in some genes. The floral transition is one of the crucial events in a plant's life history, and time of flowering is an important agricultural trait. There is a variation in flowering time within species of the genus Brassica, and this variation is largely dependent on a difference in vernalization requirements. In Brassica, like in A. thaliana, the key gene of vernalization is FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). In Brassica species, the vernalization response including the repression of FLC expression by cold treatment and the enrichment of the repressive histone modification tri-methylated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) at the FLC locus is similar to A. thaliana. B. rapa and B. oleracea each have four paralogs of FLC, and the allotetraploid species, Brassica napus, has nine paralogs. The increased number of paralogs makes the role of FLC in vernalization more complicated; in a single plant, paralogs vary in the expression level of FLC before and after vernalization. There is also variation in FLC expression levels between accessions. In this review, we focus on the regulatory circuits of the vernalization response of FLC expression in the genus Brassica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayasha Akter
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
| | - Etsuko Itabashi
- Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsu, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Kakizaki
- Institute of Vegetable and Floriculture Science, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsu, Japan
| | - Keiichi Okazaki
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Elizabeth S. Dennis
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology, Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia
| | - Ryo Fujimoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
- *Correspondence: Ryo Fujimoto,
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14
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The role of FRIGIDA and FLOWERING LOCUS C genes in flowering time of Brassica rapa leafy vegetables. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13843. [PMID: 31554847 PMCID: PMC6761103 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50122-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a wide variation of flowering time among lines of Brassica rapa L. Most B. rapa leafy (Chinese cabbage etc.) or root (turnip) vegetables require prolonged cold exposure for flowering, known as vernalization. Premature bolting caused by low temperature leads to a reduction in the yield/quality of these B. rapa vegetables. Therefore, high bolting resistance is an important breeding trait, and understanding the molecular mechanism of vernalization is necessary to achieve this goal. In this study, we demonstrated that BrFRIb functions as an activator of BrFLC in B. rapa. We showed a positive correlation between the steady state expression levels of the sum of the BrFLC paralogs and the days to flowering after four weeks of cold treatment, suggesting that this is an indicator of the vernalization requirement. We indicate that BrFLCs are repressed by the accumulation of H3K27me3 and that the spreading of H3K27me3 promotes stable FLC repression. However, there was no clear relationship between the level of H3K27me3 in the BrFLC and the vernalization requirement. We also showed that if there was a high vernalization requirement, the rate of repression of BrFLC1 expression following prolonged cold treatments was lower.
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15
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Long noncoding RNAs in Brassica rapa L. following vernalization. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9302. [PMID: 31243302 PMCID: PMC6594933 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45650-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Brassica rapa L. is an important agricultural crop that requires a period of prolonged cold for flowering. This process is known as vernalization. Studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in abiotic stress responses and several cold-responsive noncoding RNAs have been suggested to be involved in vernalization. We examined the transcriptome of the Chinese cabbage inbred line (B. rapa L. var. pekinensis) RJKB-T24, and identified 1,444 long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs), 551 natural antisense transcripts (NATs), and 93 intronic noncoding RNAs (incRNAs); 549 of the 2,088 lncRNAs significantly altered their expression in response to four weeks of cold treatment. Most differentially expressed lncRNAs did not lead to a change of expression levels in mRNAs covering or near lncRNAs, suggesting that the transcriptional responses to four weeks of cold treatment in lncRNA and mRNA are independent. However, some differentially expressed mRNAs had NATs with expression altered in the same direction. These genes were categorized as having an abiotic stress response, suggesting that the paired-expression may play a role in the transcriptional response to vernalization or cold treatment. We also identified short-term cold treatment induced NATs in BrFLC and BrMAF genes, which are involved in vernalization. The lncRNAs we identified differed from those reported in Arabidopsis thaliana, suggesting the role of lncRNAs in vernalization differ between these two species.
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16
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Gong J, Yan S, Yu H, Zhang W, Zhang D. Increased Expression of Lysine-Specific Demethylase 5B (KDM5B) Promotes Tumor Cell Growth in Hep3B Cells and is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Med Sci Monit 2018; 24:7586-7594. [PMID: 30353907 PMCID: PMC6210936 DOI: 10.12659/msm.910844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lysine-specific demethylase 5B (KDM5B) is overexpressed in several types of cancer. However, the clinical significance of KDM5B expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The aims of the present study were to examine the functional effects of KDM5B in the Hep3B cell line, the expression levels of KDM5B in human HCC tissues, and the association between KDM5B expression and clinical outcome in patients with HCC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to examine the expression levels of KDM5B in HCC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. In the HCC cell line, Hep3B, the effects of KDM5B on cell proliferation and migration, and KDM5B small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used to study KDM5B knockdown. Univariate and multivariate analysis assessed the prognostic role of KDM5B in HCC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test evaluated clinical outcomes. RESULTS In the HCC cell line, Hep3B, KDM5B expression promoted promote tumor cell proliferation and colony formation. Increased expression of KDM5B in HCC tissues, compared with adjacent normal liver tissues, and was associated with larger tumor size, advanced TNM stage, and reduced overall survival in patients with HCC. Multivariate analysis identified KDM5B expression as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS Increased expression of KDM5B was significantly correlated with poorer prognosis in patients with patients with HCC, indicating the possible potential of KDM5B as a novel clinical biomarker and therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Gong
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Shuyuan Yan
- Child Health Care Center, Changsha Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Hui Yu
- Child Health Care Center, Changsha Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Wenhua Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Di Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
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17
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Hewezi T. Editorial: epigenetic regulation of plant development and stress responses. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2018; 37:1-2. [PMID: 29159566 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-017-2233-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tarek Hewezi
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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