1
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Wang W, Zhang T, Liu C, Liu C, Jiang Z, Zhang Z, Ali S, Li Z, Wang J, Sun S, Chen Q, Zhang Q, Xie L. A DNA demethylase reduces seed size by decreasing the DNA methylation of AT-rich transposable elements in soybean. Commun Biol 2024; 7:613. [PMID: 38773248 PMCID: PMC11109123 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06306-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding how to increase soybean yield is crucial for global food security. The genetic and epigenetic factors influencing seed size, a major crop yield determinant, are not fully understood. We explore the role of DNA demethylase GmDMEa in soybean seed size. Our research indicates that GmDMEa negatively correlates with soybean seed size. Using CRISPR-Cas9, we edited GmDMEa in the Dongnong soybean cultivar, known for small seeds. Modified plants had larger seeds and greater yields without altering plant architecture or seed nutrition. GmDMEa preferentially demethylates AT-rich transposable elements, thus activating genes and transcription factors associated with the abscisic acid pathway, which typically decreases seed size. Chromosomal substitution lines confirm that these modifications are inheritable, suggesting a stable epigenetic method to boost seed size in future breeding. Our findings provide insights into epigenetic seed size control and suggest a strategy for improving crop yields through the epigenetic regulation of crucial genes. This work implies that targeted epigenetic modification has practical agricultural applications, potentially enhancing food production without compromising crop quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanpeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, Shandong, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Chunyu Liu
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Chunyan Liu
- College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zhenfeng Jiang
- College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zhaohan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Shahid Ali
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zhuozheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Shanwen Sun
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Qingshan Chen
- College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
| | - Linan Xie
- Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
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2
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Kakoulidou I, Johannes F. DNA methylation remodeling in F1 hybrids. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:671-681. [PMID: 36752648 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
F1 hybrids derived from a cross between two inbred parental lines often display widespread changes in DNA methylation patterns relative to their parents. To which extent these changes drive non-additive gene expression levels and phenotypic heterosis in F1 individuals is not fully resolved. Current mechanistic models propose that DNA methylation remodeling in hybrids is the result of epigenetic interactions between parental alleles via small interfering RNA (sRNA). These models have strong empirical support but are limited to genomic regions where the two parental lines differ in DNA methylation status. However, most remodeling events occur in parental regions with similar methylation patterns, and seem to be strongly conditioned by distally acting factors, even in isogenic hybrid systems. The molecular basis of these distal interactions is currently unknown, and will likely emerge as an active area of research in the future. Despite these gaps in our molecular understanding, parental DNA methylation states are statistically associated with heterosis, independent of genetic information, and may serve as biomarkers in crop breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Kakoulidou
- Plant Epigenomics, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramman-Str. 4, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Frank Johannes
- Plant Epigenomics, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Ramman-Str. 4, 85354, Freising, Germany
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3
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Chen B, Wang M, Guo Y, Zhang Z, Zhou W, Cao L, Zhang T, Ali S, Xie L, Li Y, Zinta G, Sun S, Zhang Q. Climate-related naturally occurring epimutation and their roles in plant adaptation in A. thaliana. Mol Ecol 2024:e17356. [PMID: 38634782 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
DNA methylation has been proposed to be an important mechanism that allows plants to respond to their environments sometimes entirely uncoupled from genetic variation. To understand the genetic basis, biological functions and climatic relationships of DNA methylation at a population scale in Arabidopsis thaliana, we performed a genome-wide association analysis with high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and found that ~56% on average, especially in the CHH sequence context (71%), of the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) are not tagged by SNPs. Among them, a total of 3235 DMRs are significantly associated with gene expressions and potentially heritable. 655 of the 3235 DMRs are associated with climatic variables, and we experimentally verified one of them, HEI10 (HUMAN ENHANCER OF CELL INVASION NO.10). Such epigenetic loci could be subjected to natural selection thereby affecting plant adaptation, and would be expected to be an indicator of accessions at risk. We therefore incorporated these climate-related DMRs into a gradient forest model, and found that the natural A. thaliana accessions in Southern Europe that may be most at risk under future climate change. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating DNA methylation that is independent of genetic variations, and climatic data to predict plants' vulnerability to future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Biology Resources and Environmental Sciences, Jishou University, Jishou, China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yile Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Zihui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Lesheng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Shahid Ali
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Linan Xie
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yuhua Li
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Gaurav Zinta
- Integrative Plant AdaptOmics Lab (iPAL), Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Shanwen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- The Center for Basic Forestry Research, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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4
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Kakoulidou I, Piecyk RS, Meyer RC, Kuhlmann M, Gutjahr C, Altmann T, Johannes F. Mapping parental DMRs predictive of local and distal methylome remodeling in epigenetic F1 hybrids. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202402599. [PMID: 38290756 PMCID: PMC10828516 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202402599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
F1 hybrids derived from a cross between two inbred parental lines often display widespread changes in DNA methylation and gene expression patterns relative to their parents. An emerging challenge is to understand how parental epigenomic differences contribute to these events. Here, we generated a large mapping panel of F1 epigenetic hybrids, whose parents are isogenic but variable in their DNA methylation patterns. Using a combination of multi-omic profiling and epigenetic mapping strategies we show that differentially methylated regions in parental pericentromeres act as major reorganizers of hybrid methylomes and transcriptomes, even in the absence of genetic variation. These parental differentially methylated regions are associated with hybrid methylation remodeling events at thousands of target regions throughout the genome, both locally (in cis) and distally (in trans). Many of these distally-induced methylation changes lead to nonadditive expression of nearby genes and associate with phenotypic heterosis. Our study highlights the pleiotropic potential of parental pericentromeres in the functional remodeling of hybrid genomes and phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Kakoulidou
- https://ror.org/02kkvpp62 Plant Epigenomics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Robert S Piecyk
- https://ror.org/02kkvpp62 Plant Epigenomics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Rhonda C Meyer
- https://ror.org/02skbsp27 Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Markus Kuhlmann
- https://ror.org/02skbsp27 Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Caroline Gutjahr
- Plant Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Thomas Altmann
- https://ror.org/02skbsp27 Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Frank Johannes
- https://ror.org/02kkvpp62 Plant Epigenomics, TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- https://ror.org/02kkvpp62 Institute of Advanced Studies, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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5
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Liu B, Yang D, Wang D, Liang C, Wang J, Lisch D, Zhao M. Heritable changes of epialleles near genes in maize can be triggered in the absence of CHH methylation. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 194:2511-2532. [PMID: 38109503 PMCID: PMC10980416 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Trans-chromosomal interactions resulting in changes in DNA methylation during hybridization have been observed in several plant species. However, little is known about the causes or consequences of these interactions. Here, we compared DNA methylomes of F1 hybrids that are mutant for a small RNA biogenesis gene, Mop1 (Mediator of paramutation1), with that of their parents, wild-type siblings, and backcrossed progeny in maize (Zea mays). Our data show that hybridization triggers global changes in both trans-chromosomal methylation (TCM) and trans-chromosomal demethylation (TCdM), most of which involved changes in CHH methylation. In more than 60% of these TCM differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in which small RNAs are available, no significant changes in the quantity of small RNAs were observed. Methylation at the CHH TCM DMRs was largely lost in the mop1 mutant, although the effects of this mutant varied depending on the location of these DMRs. Interestingly, an increase in CHH at TCM DMRs was associated with enhanced expression of a subset of highly expressed genes and suppressed expression of a small number of lowly expressed genes. Examination of the methylation levels in backcrossed plants demonstrates that both TCM and TCdM can be maintained in the subsequent generation, but that TCdM is more stable than TCM. Surprisingly, although increased CHH methylation in most TCM DMRs in F1 plants required Mop1, initiation of a new epigenetic state of these DMRs did not require a functional copy of this gene, suggesting that initiation of these changes is independent of RNA-directed DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Liu
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Diya Yang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Dafang Wang
- Biology Department, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
| | - Chun Liang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Jianping Wang
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Damon Lisch
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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6
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Liu Q, Ma X, Li X, Zhang X, Zhou S, Xiong L, Zhao Y, Zhou DX. Paternal DNA methylation is remodeled to maternal levels in rice zygote. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6571. [PMID: 37852973 PMCID: PMC10584822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42394-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic reprogramming occurs during reproduction to reset the genome for early development. In flowering plants, mechanistic details of parental methylation remodeling in zygote remain elusive. Here we analyze allele-specific DNA methylation in rice hybrid zygotes and during early embryo development and show that paternal DNA methylation is predominantly remodeled to match maternal allelic levels upon fertilization, which persists after the first zygotic division. The DNA methylation remodeling pattern supports the predominantly maternal-biased gene expression during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in rice. However, parental allelic-specific methylations are reestablished at the globular embryo stage and associate with allelic-specific histone modification patterns in hybrids. These results reveal that paternal DNA methylation is remodeled to match the maternal pattern during zygotic genome reprogramming and suggest existence of a chromatin memory allowing parental allelic-specific methylation to be maintained in the hybrid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xuan Ma
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xue Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xinran Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Shaoli Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Lizhong Xiong
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
| | - Dao-Xiu Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
- Institute of Plant Science Paris-Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, INRAE, University Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France.
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7
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Chow HT, Mosher RA. Small RNA-mediated DNA methylation during plant reproduction. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:1787-1800. [PMID: 36651080 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive tissues are a rich source of small RNAs, including several classes of short interfering (si)RNAs that are restricted to this stage of development. In addition to RNA polymerase IV-dependent 24-nt siRNAs that trigger canonical RNA-directed DNA methylation, abundant reproductive-specific siRNAs are produced from companion cells adjacent to the developing germ line or zygote and may move intercellularly before inducing methylation. In some cases, these siRNAs are produced via non-canonical biosynthesis mechanisms or from sequences with little similarity to transposons. While the precise role of these siRNAs and the methylation they trigger is unclear, they have been implicated in specifying a single megaspore mother cell, silencing transposons in the male germ line, mediating parental dosage conflict to ensure proper endosperm development, hypermethylation of mature embryos, and trans-chromosomal methylation in hybrids. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of reproductive siRNAs, including their biosynthesis, transport, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Tung Chow
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0036, USA
| | - Rebecca A Mosher
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0036, USA
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8
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Liu B, Yang D, Wang D, Liang C, Wang J, Lisch D, Zhao M. Heritable changes of epialleles in maize can be triggered in the absence of DNA methylation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.15.537008. [PMID: 37131670 PMCID: PMC10153178 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.15.537008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Trans-chromosomal interactions resulting in changes in DNA methylation during hybridization have been observed in several plant species. However, very little is known about the causes or consequences of these interactions. Here, we compared DNA methylomes of F1 hybrids that are mutant for a small RNA biogenesis gene, Mop1 (mediator of paramutation1) with that of their parents, wild type siblings, and backcrossed progeny in maize. Our data show that hybridization triggers global changes in both trans-chromosomal methylation (TCM) and trans-chromosomal demethylation (TCdM), most of which involved changes in CHH methylation. In more than 60% of these TCM differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in which small RNAs are available, no significant changes in the quantity of small RNAs were observed. Methylation at the CHH TCM DMRs was largely lost in the mop1 mutant, although the effects of this mutant varied depending on the location of the CHH DMRs. Interestingly, an increase in CHH at TCM DMRs was associated with enhanced expression of a subset of highly expressed genes and suppressed expression of a small number of lowly expressed genes. Examination of the methylation levels in backcrossed plants demonstrates that TCM and TCdM can be maintained in the subsequent generation, but that TCdM is more stable than TCM. Surprisingly, although increased CHH methylation in F1 plants did require Mop1, initiation of the changes in the epigenetic state of TCM DMRs did not require a functional copy of this gene, suggesting that initiation of these changes is not dependent on RNA-directed DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Liu
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Diya Yang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Dafang Wang
- Biology Department, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549
| | - Chun Liang
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Jianping Wang
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610
| | - Damon Lisch
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
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9
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Pisupati R, Nizhynska V, Mollá Morales A, Nordborg M. On the causes of gene-body methylation variation in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS Genet 2023; 19:e1010728. [PMID: 37141384 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene-body methylation (gbM) refers to sparse CG methylation of coding regions, which is especially prominent in evolutionarily conserved house-keeping genes. It is found in both plants and animals, but is directly and stably (epigenetically) inherited over multiple generations in the former. Studies in Arabidopsis thaliana have demonstrated that plants originating from different parts of the world exhibit genome-wide differences in gbM, which could reflect direct selection on gbM, but which could also reflect an epigenetic memory of ancestral genetic and/or environmental factors. Here we look for evidence of such factors in F2 plants resulting from a cross between a southern Swedish line with low gbM and a northern Swedish line with high gbM, grown at two different temperatures. Using bisulfite-sequencing data with nucleotide-level resolution on hundreds of individuals, we confirm that CG sites are either methylated (nearly 100% methylation across sampled cells) or unmethylated (approximately 0% methylation across sampled cells), and show that the higher level of gbM in the northern line is due to more sites being methylated. Furthermore, methylation variants almost always show Mendelian segregation, consistent with their being directly and stably inherited through meiosis. To explore how the differences between the parental lines could have arisen, we focused on somatic deviations from the inherited state, distinguishing between gains (relative to the inherited 0% methylation) and losses (relative to the inherited 100% methylation) at each site in the F2 generation. We demonstrate that deviations predominantly affect sites that differ between the parental lines, consistent with these sites being more mutable. Gains and losses behave very differently in terms of the genomic distribution, and are influenced by the local chromatin state. We find clear evidence for different trans-acting genetic polymorphism affecting gains and losses, with those affecting gains showing strong environmental interactions (G×E). Direct effects of the environment were minimal. In conclusion, we show that genetic and environmental factors can change gbM at a cellular level, and hypothesize that these factors can also lead to transgenerational differences between individuals via the inclusion of such changes in the zygote. If true, this could explain genographic pattern of gbM with selection, and would cast doubt on estimates of epimutation rates from inbred lines in constant environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Pisupati
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics, Institut für Populationsgenetik, Vetmeduni, Vienna, Austria
| | - Viktoria Nizhynska
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Almudena Mollá Morales
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
| | - Magnus Nordborg
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria
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10
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Hari Sundar G V, Swetha C, Basu D, Pachamuthu K, Raju S, Chakraborty T, Mosher RA, Shivaprasad PV. Plant polymerase IV sensitizes chromatin through histone modifications to preclude spread of silencing into protein-coding domains. Genome Res 2023; 33:715-728. [PMID: 37277199 PMCID: PMC10317121 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277353.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Across eukaryotes, gene regulation is manifested via chromatin states roughly distinguished as heterochromatin and euchromatin. The establishment, maintenance, and modulation of the chromatin states is mediated using several factors including chromatin modifiers. However, factors that avoid the intrusion of silencing signals into protein-coding genes are poorly understood. Here we show that a plant specific paralog of RNA polymerase (Pol) II, named Pol IV, is involved in avoidance of facultative heterochromatic marks in protein-coding genes, in addition to its well-established functions in silencing repeats and transposons. In its absence, H3K27 trimethylation (me3) mark intruded the protein-coding genes, more profoundly in genes embedded with repeats. In a subset of genes, spurious transcriptional activity resulted in small(s) RNA production, leading to post-transcriptional gene silencing. We show that such effects are significantly pronounced in rice, a plant with a larger genome with distributed heterochromatin compared with Arabidopsis Our results indicate the division of labor among plant-specific polymerases, not just in establishing effective silencing via sRNAs and DNA methylation but also in influencing chromatin boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Hari Sundar G
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Chenna Swetha
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Debjani Basu
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kannan Pachamuthu
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Steffi Raju
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Tania Chakraborty
- School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - Rebecca A Mosher
- School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
| | - P V Shivaprasad
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065, India;
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11
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Zhan W, Guo G, Cui L, Rashid MAR, Jiang L, Sun G, Yang J, Zhang Y. Combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis reveals the effects of light quality on maize hybrids. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:41. [PMID: 36653749 PMCID: PMC9847186 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04059-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, refers to the phenotypic superiority of an F1 hybrid relative to its parents in terms of growth rate, biomass production, grain yield, and stress tolerance. Light is an energy source and main environmental cue with marked impacts on heterosis in plants. Research into the production applications and mechanism of heterosis has been conducted for over a century and a half, but little is known about the effect of light on plant heterosis. RESULTS In this study, an integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis was performed using maize (Zea mays L.) inbred parents, B73 and Mo17, and their hybrids, B73 × Mo17 (BM) and Mo17 × B73 (MB), grown in darkness or under far-red, red, or blue light. Most differentially expressed genes (73.72-92.50%) and differentially accumulated metabolites (84.74-94.32%) exhibited non-additive effects in BM and MB hybrids. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that differential genes and metabolites were involved in glutathione transfer, carbohydrate transport, terpenoid biosynthesis, and photosynthesis. The darkness, far-red, red, and blue light treatments were all associated with phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Five genes and seven metabolites related to phenylpropanoid-flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were identified as potential contributors to the interactions between maize heterosis and light conditions. Consistent with the strong mid-parent heterosis observed for metabolites, significant increases in both fresh and dry weights were found in the MB and BM hybrids compared with their inbred parents. Unexpectedly, increasing light intensity resulted in higher biomass heterosis in MB, but lower biomass heterosis in BM. CONCLUSIONS The transcriptomic and metabolomic results provide unique insights into the effects of light quality on gene expression patterns and genotype-environment interactions, and have implications for gene mining of heterotic loci to improve maize production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weimin Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Guanghui Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475004, China
| | - Lianhua Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Muhammad Abdul Rehman Rashid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan
| | - Liangliang Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Guanghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
| | - Jianping Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
| | - Yanpei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
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12
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Chen B, Guo Y, Zhang X, Wang L, Cao L, Zhang T, Zhang Z, Zhou W, Xie L, Wang J, Sun S, Yang C, Zhang Q. Climate-responsive DNA methylation is involved in the biosynthesis of lignin in birch. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1090967. [PMID: 36531363 PMCID: PMC9757698 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1090967] [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: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Lignin is one of the most important secondary metabolites and essential to the formation of cell walls. Changes in lignin biosynthesis have been reported to be associated with environmental variations and can influence plant fitness and their adaptation to abiotic stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated the relations between the lignin biosynthesis and environmental factors and explored the role of epigenetic modification (DNA methylation) in contributing to these relations if any in natural birch. Significantly negative correlations were observed between the lignin content and temperature ranges. Analyzing the transcriptomes of birches in two habitats with different temperature ranges showed that the expressions of genes and transcription factors (TFs) involving lignin biosynthesis were significantly reduced at higher temperature ranges. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed that promoter DNA methylation of two NAC-domain TFs, BpNST1/2 and BpSND1, may be involved in the inhibition of these gene expressions, and thereby reduced the content of lignin. Based on these results we proposed a DNA methylation-mediated lignin biosynthesis model which responds to environmental factors. Overall, this study suggests the possibility of environmental signals to induce epigenetic variations that result in changes in lignin content, which can aid to develop resilient plants to combat ongoing climate changes or to manipulate secondary metabolite biosynthesis for agricultural, medicinal, or industrial values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yile Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Lishan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Lesheng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Zihui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Linan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Jiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Shanwen Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Chuanping Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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13
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Jaiswal V, Rawoof A, Gahlaut V, Ahmad I, Chhapekar SS, Dubey M, Ramchiary N. Integrated analysis of DNA methylation, transcriptome, and global metabolites in interspecific heterotic Capsicum F 1 hybrid. iScience 2022; 25:105318. [PMID: 36304106 PMCID: PMC9593261 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hybrid breeding is one of the efficacious methods of crop improvement. Here, we report our work towards understanding the molecular basis of F1 hybrid heterosis from Capsicum chinense and C. frutescens cross. Bisulfite sequencing identified a total of 70597 CG, 108797 CHG, and 38418 CHH differentially methylated regions (DMRs) across F1 hybrid and parents, and of these, 4891 DMRs showed higher methylation in F1 compared to the mid-parental methylation values (MPMV). Transcriptome analysis showed higher expression of 46–55% differentially expressed genes (DE-Gs) in the F1 hybrid. The qRT-PCR analysis of 24 DE-Gs with negative promoter methylation revealed 91.66% expression similarity with the transcriptome data. A few metabolites and 65–72% enriched genes in metabolite biosynthetic pathways showed overall increased expression in the F1 hybrid compared to parents. These findings, taken together, provided insights into the integrated role of DNA methylation, and genes and metabolites expression in the manifestation of heterosis in Capsicum. Global methylation identified significantly different proportions of mCs in hybrid Of common DMRs, 33.08% showed different methylation in hybrid from the mid-parental value Negatively correlated DEG pDMR-genes were enriched in metabolic pathways Significant higher expression of metabolites and DE-Gs were identified in the F1 hybrid
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Jaiswal
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Corresponding author
| | - Abdul Rawoof
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Vijay Gahlaut
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Ilyas Ahmad
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Sushil S. Chhapekar
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
- Department of Horticulture, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, South Korea
| | - Meenakshi Dubey
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daulatpur, Bawana Road, Delhi 110042, India
| | - Nirala Ramchiary
- Translational and Evolutionary Genomics Lab, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
- Corresponding author
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14
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Tonosaki K, Fujimoto R, Dennis ES, Raboy V, Osabe K. Will epigenetics be a key player in crop breeding? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:958350. [PMID: 36247549 PMCID: PMC9562705 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.958350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
If food and feed production are to keep up with world demand in the face of climate change, continued progress in understanding and utilizing both genetic and epigenetic sources of crop variation is necessary. Progress in plant breeding has traditionally been thought to be due to selection for spontaneous DNA sequence mutations that impart desirable phenotypes. These spontaneous mutations can expand phenotypic diversity, from which breeders can select agronomically useful traits. However, it has become clear that phenotypic diversity can be generated even when the genome sequence is unaltered. Epigenetic gene regulation is a mechanism by which genome expression is regulated without altering the DNA sequence. With the development of high throughput DNA sequencers, it has become possible to analyze the epigenetic state of the whole genome, which is termed the epigenome. These techniques enable us to identify spontaneous epigenetic mutations (epimutations) with high throughput and identify the epimutations that lead to increased phenotypic diversity. These epimutations can create new phenotypes and the causative epimutations can be inherited over generations. There is evidence of selected agronomic traits being conditioned by heritable epimutations, and breeders may have historically selected for epiallele-conditioned agronomic traits. These results imply that not only DNA sequence diversity, but the diversity of epigenetic states can contribute to increased phenotypic diversity. However, since the modes of induction and transmission of epialleles and their stability differ from that of genetic alleles, the importance of inheritance as classically defined also differs. For example, there may be a difference between the types of epigenetic inheritance important to crop breeding and crop production. The former may depend more on longer-term inheritance whereas the latter may simply take advantage of shorter-term phenomena. With the advances in our understanding of epigenetics, epigenetics may bring new perspectives for crop improvement, such as the use of epigenetic variation or epigenome editing in breeding. In this review, we will introduce the role of epigenetic variation in plant breeding, largely focusing on DNA methylation, and conclude by asking to what extent new knowledge of epigenetics in crop breeding has led to documented cases of its successful use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Tonosaki
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Ryo Fujimoto
- Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Elizabeth S. Dennis
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Agriculture and Food, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Victor Raboy
- Independent Researcher Portland, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Kenji Osabe
- Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
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15
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Wang M, He L, Chen B, Wang Y, Wang L, Zhou W, Zhang T, Cao L, Zhang P, Xie L, Zhang Q. Transgenerationally Transmitted DNA Demethylation of a Spontaneous Epialleles Using CRISPR/dCas9-TET1cd Targeted Epigenetic Editing in Arabidopsis. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810492. [PMID: 36142407 PMCID: PMC9504898 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/dCas9 is an important DNA modification tool in which a disarmed Cas9 protein with no nuclease activity is fused with a specific DNA modifying enzyme. A previous study reported that overexpression of the TET1 catalytic domain (TET1cd) reduces genome-wide methylation in Arabidopsis. A spontaneous naturally occurring methylation region (NMR19-4) was identified in the promoter region of the PPH (Pheophytin Pheophorbide Hydrolase) gene, which encodes an enzyme that can degrade chlorophyll and accelerate leaf senescence. The methylation status of NMR19-4 is associated with PPH expression and leaf senescence in Arabidopsis natural accessions. In this study, we show that the CRISPR/dCas9-TET1cd system can be used to target the methylation of hypermethylated NMR19-4 region to reduce the level of methylation, thereby increasing the expression of PPH and accelerating leaf senescence. Furthermore, hybridization between transgenic demethylated plants and hypermethylated ecotypes showed that the demethylation status of edited NMR19-4, along with the enhanced PPH expression and accelerated leaf senescence, showed Mendelian inheritance in F1 and F2 progeny, indicating that spontaneous epialleles are stably transmitted trans-generationally after demethylation editing. Our results provide a rational approach for future editing of spontaneously mutated epialleles and provide insights into the epigenetic mechanisms that control plant leaf senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Li He
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201602, China
| | - Bowei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Yanwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Lishan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Lesheng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Linan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetative Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- Correspondence:
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16
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Chandana BS, Mahto RK, Singh RK, Ford R, Vaghefi N, Gupta SK, Yadav HK, Manohar M, Kumar R. Epigenomics as Potential Tools for Enhancing Magnitude of Breeding Approaches for Developing Climate Resilient Chickpea. Front Genet 2022; 13:900253. [PMID: 35937986 PMCID: PMC9355295 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.900253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenomics has become a significant research interest at a time when rapid environmental changes are occurring. Epigenetic mechanisms mainly result from systems like DNA methylation, histone modification, and RNA interference. Epigenetic mechanisms are gaining importance in classical genetics, developmental biology, molecular biology, cancer biology, epidemiology, and evolution. Epigenetic mechanisms play important role in the action and interaction of plant genes during development, and also have an impact on classical plant breeding programs, inclusive of novel variation, single plant heritability, hybrid vigor, plant-environment interactions, stress tolerance, and performance stability. The epigenetics and epigenomics may be significant for crop adaptability and pliability to ambient alterations, directing to the creation of stout climate-resilient elegant crop cultivars. In this review, we have summarized recent progress made in understanding the epigenetic mechanisms in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and have also tried to provide the ways for the efficient utilization of epigenomic mechanisms in developing climate-resilient crop cultivars, especially in chickpea, and other legume crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. S. Chandana
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), New Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Rebecca Ford
- Center for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Niloofar Vaghefi
- School of Agriculture and Food, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | | | | | - Murli Manohar
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Rajendra Kumar
- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), New Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Rajendra Kumar,
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17
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Wan J, Wang Q, Zhao J, Zhang X, Guo Z, Hu D, Meng S, Lin Y, Qiu X, Mu L, Ding D, Tang J. Gene expression variation explains maize seed germination heterosis. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:301. [PMID: 35718761 PMCID: PMC9208091 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03690-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heterosis has been extensively utilized in plant breeding, however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely elusive. Maize (Zea mays), which exhibits strong heterosis, is an ideal material for studying heterosis. RESULTS In this study, there is faster imbibition and development in reciprocal crossing Zhengdan958 hybrids than in their parent lines during seed germination. To investigate the mechanism of heterosis of maize germination, comparative transcriptomic analyses were conducted. The gene expression patterns showed that 1324 (47.27%) and 1592 (66.44%) of the differential expression genes between hybrids and either parental line display parental dominance up or higher levels in the reciprocal cross of Zhengdan958, respectively. Notably, these genes were mainly enriched in metabolic pathways, including carbon metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, etc. CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence for the higher expression level genes in hybrid involved in metabolic pathways acting as main contributors to maize seed germinating heterosis. These findings provide new insights into the gene expression variation of maize embryos and improve the understanding of maize seed germination heterosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiong Wan
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Qiyue Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Jiawen Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Xuehai Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Zhanyong Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Desheng Hu
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Shujun Meng
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Xiaoqian Qiu
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Liqin Mu
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Dong Ding
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
| | - Jihua Tang
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
- The Shennong Laboratory, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
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18
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Plant DNA Methylation Responds to Nutrient Stress. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13060992. [PMID: 35741754 PMCID: PMC9222553 DOI: 10.3390/genes13060992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrient stress as abiotic stress has become one of the important factors restricting crop yield and quality. DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification that can effectively regulate genome stability. Exploring DNA methylation responses to nutrient stress could lay the foundation for improving plant tolerance to nutrient stress. This article summarizes the plant DNA methylation patterns, the effects of nutrient stress, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, zinc and sulfur stress, on plant DNA methylation and research techniques for plant DNA methylation, etc. Our discussion provides insight for further research on epigenetics response to nutrient stress in the future.
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19
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Cao S, Wang L, Han T, Ye W, Liu Y, Sun Y, Moose SP, Song Q, Chen ZJ. Small RNAs mediate transgenerational inheritance of genome-wide trans-acting epialleles in maize. Genome Biol 2022; 23:53. [PMID: 35139883 PMCID: PMC8827192 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02614-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hybridization and backcrossing are commonly used in animal and plant breeding to induce heritable variation including epigenetic changes such as paramutation. However, the molecular basis for hybrid-induced epigenetic memory remains elusive. Results Here, we report that hybridization between the inbred parents B73 and Mo17 induces trans-acting hypermethylation and hypomethylation at thousands of loci; several hundreds (~ 3%) are transmitted through six backcrossing and three selfing generations. Notably, many transgenerational methylation patterns resemble epialleles of the nonrecurrent parent, despite > 99% of overall genomic loci are converted to the recurrent parent. These epialleles depend on 24-nt siRNAs, which are eliminated in the isogenic hybrid Mo17xB73:mop1-1 that is defective in siRNA biogenesis. This phenomenon resembles paramutation-like events and occurs in both intraspecific (Mo17xB73) and interspecific (W22xTeosinte) hybrid maize populations. Moreover, siRNA abundance and methylation levels of these epialleles can affect expression of their associated epigenes, many of which are related to stress responses. Conclusion Divergent siRNAs between the hybridizing parents can induce trans-acting epialleles in the hybrids, while the induced epigenetic status is maintained for transgenerational inheritance during backcross and hybrid breeding, which alters epigene expression to enhance growth and adaptation. These genetic and epigenetic principles may apply broadly from plants to animals. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-022-02614-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Longfei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Tongwen Han
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wenxue Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yi Sun
- College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030801, China
| | - Stephen P Moose
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Qingxin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1 Weigang Road, Nanjing, 210095, China.
| | - Z Jeffrey Chen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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20
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Wang M, Wang J. Transcriptome and DNA methylome analyses provide insight into the heterosis in flag leaf of inter-subspecific hybrid rice. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 108:105-125. [PMID: 34855066 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-021-01228-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Flag leaf heterosis of inter-subspecific hybrid rice is suggested to be related to leaf area, gene expression pattern and allele-specific expression, putatively related to DNA methylation differences between the hybrid and its parents. Inter-subspecific hybrid rice combinations of indica × japonica have great potential to broaden genetic diversity and enhance the heterosis. The genetic and epigenetic molecular mechanism of its heterosis is not completely understood. Here, the dissection of gene expression and epigenetic regulation of an elite inter-subspecific hybrid rice were reported. In the hybrid, plant height, flag leaf area and Pn showed significant heterosis at the heading stage. Chloroplast-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 530 allele-specific expression genes in hybrid were identified. Analysis of the genome-wide distribution of DNA methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC) and its association with transcription showed that there were variant DNA methylation maps and that the regulation of gene expression levels was negatively regulated by DNA methylation in the inter-subspecific hybrid rice. Differentially methylated DEGs were significantly enriched in photosynthetic functions. Moreover, distinct 5mC sequence contexts and distinct functional elements (promoter/gene body) may have different influences on heterosis related genes. The data identified heterosis related molecular mechanisms in inter-subspecific hybrid rice and suggested that epigenetic changes could extensively influence the flag leaf gene expression and heterosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Jianbo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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21
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Ali S, Zhang T, Lambing C, Wang W, Zhang P, Xie L, Wang J, Khan N, Zhang Q. Loss of chromatin remodeler DDM1 causes segregation distortion in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLANTA 2021; 254:107. [PMID: 34694462 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-021-03763-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In ddm1 mutants, the DNA methylation is primarily affected in the heterochromatic region of the chromosomes, which is associated with the segregation distortion of SNPs in the F2 progenies. Segregation distortion (SD) is common in most genetic mapping experiments and a valuable resource to determine how gene loci induce deviation. Meiotic DNA crossing over and SD are under the control of several types of epigenetic modifications. DNA methylation is an important regulatory epigenetic modification that is inherited across generations. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between SD and DNA methylation. The ecotypes Col-0/C24 and chromatin remodeler mutants ddm1-10/Col and ddm1-15/C24 were reciprocally crossed to obtain F2 generations. A total of 300 plants for each reciprocally crossed plant in the F2 generations were subjected to next-generation sequencing to detect the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as DNA markers. All SNPs were analyzed using the Chi-square test method to determine their segregation ratio in F2 generations. Through the segregation ratio, whole-genome SNPs were classified into 16 classes. In class 10, the SNPs in the reciprocal crosses of wild type showed the expected Mendelian ratio of 1:2:1, while those in the reciprocal crosses of ddm1 mutants showed distortion. In contrast, all SNPs in class 16 displayed a normal 1:2:1 ratio, and class 1 showed SD, regardless of wild type or mutants, as assessed using CAPS (cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences) marker analysis to confirm the next-generation sequencing. In ddm1 mutants, the DNA methylation is highly reduced throughout the whole genome and more significantly in the heterochromatic regions of chromosomes. Our results showed that the ddm1 mutants exhibit low levels of DNA methylation, which facilitates the SD of SNPs primarily located in the heterochromatic region of chromosomes by reducing the heterozygous ratio. The present study will provide a strong base for future research focusing on the impact of DNA methylation on trait segregation and plant evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahid Ali
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Tianxu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | | | - Wanpeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Linan Xie
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Jiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Naeem Khan
- Department of Agronomy, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Qingzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.
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22
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Minow MAA, Lukens L, Rossi V, Colasanti J. Patterns of stability and change in the maize genome: a case study of small RNA transcriptomes in two recombinant inbred lines and their progenitors. Genome 2021; 65:1-12. [PMID: 34597524 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2021-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Small RNAs (sRNAs) are epigenetic regulators of eukaryotic genes and transposable elements (TEs). Diverse sRNA expression patterns exist within a species, but how this diversity arises is not well understood. To provide a window into the dynamics of maize sRNA patterning, sRNA and mRNA transcriptomes were examined in two related Zea mays recombinant inbred lines (RILs) and their inbred parents. Analysis of these RILs revealed that most clusters of sRNA expression retained the parental sRNA expression level. However, expression states that differ from the parental allele were also observed, predominantly reflecting decreases in sRNA expression. When RIL sRNA expression differed from the parental allele, the new state was frequently similar between the two RILs, and similar to the expression state found at the allele in the other parent. Novel sRNA expression patterns, distinct from those of either parent, were rare. Additionally, examination of sRNA expression over TEs revealed one TE family, Gyma, which showed consistent enrichment for RIL sRNA expression differences compared to those found in parental alleles. These findings provide insights into how sRNA silencing might evolve over generations and suggest that further investigation into the molecular nature of sRNA trans regulators is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A A Minow
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lewis Lukens
- Plant Agriculture Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Rossi
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops, I-24126 Bergamo, Italy
| | - Joseph Colasanti
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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23
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Kakoulidou I, Avramidou EV, Baránek M, Brunel-Muguet S, Farrona S, Johannes F, Kaiserli E, Lieberman-Lazarovich M, Martinelli F, Mladenov V, Testillano PS, Vassileva V, Maury S. Epigenetics for Crop Improvement in Times of Global Change. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:766. [PMID: 34439998 PMCID: PMC8389687 DOI: 10.3390/biology10080766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetics has emerged as an important research field for crop improvement under the on-going climatic changes. Heritable epigenetic changes can arise independently of DNA sequence alterations and have been associated with altered gene expression and transmitted phenotypic variation. By modulating plant development and physiological responses to environmental conditions, epigenetic diversity-naturally, genetically, chemically, or environmentally induced-can help optimise crop traits in an era challenged by global climate change. Beyond DNA sequence variation, the epigenetic modifications may contribute to breeding by providing useful markers and allowing the use of epigenome diversity to predict plant performance and increase final crop production. Given the difficulties in transferring the knowledge of the epigenetic mechanisms from model plants to crops, various strategies have emerged. Among those strategies are modelling frameworks dedicated to predicting epigenetically controlled-adaptive traits, the use of epigenetics for in vitro regeneration to accelerate crop breeding, and changes of specific epigenetic marks that modulate gene expression of traits of interest. The key challenge that agriculture faces in the 21st century is to increase crop production by speeding up the breeding of resilient crop species. Therefore, epigenetics provides fundamental molecular information with potential direct applications in crop enhancement, tolerance, and adaptation within the context of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Kakoulidou
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354 Freising, Germany; (I.K.); (F.J.)
| | - Evangelia V. Avramidou
- Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Dimitra (ELGO-DIMITRA), 11528 Athens, Greece;
| | - Miroslav Baránek
- Faculty of Horticulture, Mendeleum—Institute of Genetics, Mendel University in Brno, Valtická 334, 69144 Lednice, Czech Republic;
| | - Sophie Brunel-Muguet
- UMR 950 Ecophysiologie Végétale, Agronomie et Nutritions N, C, S, UNICAEN, INRAE, Normandie Université, CEDEX, F-14032 Caen, France;
| | - Sara Farrona
- Plant and AgriBiosciences Centre, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Frank Johannes
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, 85354 Freising, Germany; (I.K.); (F.J.)
- Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenberg Str. 2a, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Eirini Kaiserli
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Bower Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK;
| | - Michal Lieberman-Lazarovich
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion 7505101, Israel;
| | - Federico Martinelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy;
| | - Velimir Mladenov
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Sq. Dositeja Obradovića 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia;
| | - Pilar S. Testillano
- Pollen Biotechnology of Crop Plants Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas-(CIB-CSIC), Ramiro Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Valya Vassileva
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str., Bldg. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Stéphane Maury
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures, INRAE, EA1207 USC1328, Université d’Orléans, F-45067 Orléans, France
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24
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Tao X, Li M, Zhao T, Feng S, Zhang H, Wang L, Han J, Gao M, Lu K, Chen Q, Zhou B, Guan X. Neofunctionalization of a polyploidization-activated cotton long intergenic non-coding RNA DAN1 during drought stress regulation. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:2152-2168. [PMID: 33871645 PMCID: PMC8331171 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The genomic shock of whole-genome duplication (WGD) and hybridization introduces great variation into transcriptomes, for both coding and noncoding genes. An altered transcriptome provides a molecular basis for improving adaptation during the evolution of new species. The allotetraploid cotton, together with the putative diploid ancestor species compose a fine model for study the rapid gene neofunctionalization over the genome shock. Here we report on Drought-Associated Non-coding gene 1 (DAN1), a long intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA) that arose from the cotton progenitor A-diploid genome after hybridization and WGD events during cotton evolution. DAN1 in allotetraploid upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is a drought-responsive lincRNA predominantly expressed in the nucleoplasm. Chromatin isolation by RNA purification profiling and electrophoretic mobility shift assay analysis demonstrated that GhDAN1 RNA can bind with DNA fragments containing AAAG motifs, similar to DNA binding with one zinc finger transcription factor binding sequences. The suppression of GhDAN1 mainly regulates genes with AAAG motifs in auxin-response pathways, which are associated with drought stress regulation. As a result, GhDAN1-silenced plants exhibit improved tolerance to drought stress. This phenotype resembles the drought-tolerant phenotype of the A-diploid cotton ancestor species, which has an undetectable expression of DAN1. The role of DAN1 in cotton evolution and drought tolerance regulation suggests that the genomic shock of interspecific hybridization and WGD stimulated neofunctionalization of non-coding genes during the natural evolutionary process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyuan Tao
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Menglin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Cotton Hybrid R & D Engineering Center (the Ministry of Education), College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Ting Zhao
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shouli Feng
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hailin Zhang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Luyao Wang
- College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Cotton Education, Urumqi 830052, China
| | - Jin Han
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Mengtao Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Cotton Hybrid R & D Engineering Center (the Ministry of Education), College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Kening Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Cotton Hybrid R & D Engineering Center (the Ministry of Education), College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Quanjia Chen
- College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Cotton Education, Urumqi 830052, China
| | - Baoliang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Cotton Hybrid R & D Engineering Center (the Ministry of Education), College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xueying Guan
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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25
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Zebell S. Gene body silencing parental alleles for vigorous hybrid rice. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:822-823. [PMID: 33787925 PMCID: PMC8195539 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Zebell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA
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26
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Ma X, Xing F, Jia Q, Zhang Q, Hu T, Wu B, Shao L, Zhao Y, Zhang Q, Zhou DX. Parental variation in CHG methylation is associated with allelic-specific expression in elite hybrid rice. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:1025-1041. [PMID: 33620495 PMCID: PMC8195538 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Heterosis refers to the superior performance of hybrid lines over inbred parental lines. Besides genetic variation, epigenetic differences between parental lines are suggested to contribute to heterosis. However, the precise nature and extent of differences between the parental epigenomes and the reprograming in hybrids that govern heterotic gene expression remain unclear. In this work, we analyzed DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of the widely cultivated and genetically studied elite hybrid rice (Oryza sativa) SY63, the reciprocal hybrid, and the parental varieties ZS97 and MH63, for which high-quality reference genomic sequences are available. We showed that the parental varieties displayed substantial variation in genic methylation at CG and CHG (H = A, C, or T) sequences. Compared with their parents, the hybrids displayed dynamic methylation variation during development. However, many parental differentially methylated regions (DMRs) at CG and CHG sites were maintained in the hybrid. Only a small fraction of the DMRs displayed non-additive DNA methylation variation, which, however, showed no overall correlation relationship with gene expression variation. In contrast, most of the allelic-specific expression (ASE) genes in the hybrid were associated with DNA methylation, and the ASE negatively associated with allelic-specific methylation (ASM) at CHG. These results revealed a specific DNA methylation reprogramming pattern in the hybrid rice and pointed to a role for parental CHG methylation divergence in ASE, which is associated with phenotype variation and hybrid vigor in several plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Ma
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Xing
- College of Life Science, Xinyang Normal University, 464000 Xinyang, China
| | - Qingxiao Jia
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qinglu Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Tong Hu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Baoguo Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Lin Shao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qifa Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Dao-Xiu Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
- Institute of Plant Science Paris-Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, INRAE, University Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France
- Author for communication:
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27
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Shirai K, Sato MP, Nishi R, Seki M, Suzuki Y, Hanada K. Positive selective sweeps of epigenetic mutations regulating specialized metabolites in plants. Genome Res 2021; 31:1060-1068. [PMID: 34006571 PMCID: PMC8168577 DOI: 10.1101/gr.271726.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation is an important factor regulating gene expression in organisms. However, whether DNA methylation plays a key role in adaptive evolution is unknown. Here, we show evidence of naturally selected DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. In comparison with single nucleotide polymorphisms, three types of methylation—methylated CGs (mCGs), mCHGs, and mCHHs—contributed highly to variable gene expression levels among an A. thaliana population. Such variably expressed genes largely affect a large variation of specialized metabolic quantities. Among the three types of methylations, only mCGs located in promoter regions of genes associated with specialized metabolites show a selective sweep signature in the A. thaliana population. Thus, naturally selected mCGs appear to be key mutations that cause the expressional diversity associated with specialized metabolites during plant evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazumasa Shirai
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Mitsuhiko P Sato
- Kawatabi Field Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Miyagi 989-6711, Japan
| | - Ranko Nishi
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan
| | - Masahide Seki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Japan
| | - Kousuke Hanada
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
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28
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Perspectives for epigenetic editing in crops. Transgenic Res 2021; 30:381-400. [PMID: 33891288 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-021-00252-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Site-specific nucleases (SSNs) have drawn much attention in plant biotechnology due to their ability to drive precision mutagenesis, gene targeting or allele replacement. However, when devoid of its nuclease activity, the underlying DNA-binding activity of SSNs can be used to bring other protein functional domains close to specific genomic sites, thus expanding further the range of applications of the technology. In particular, the addition of functional domains encoding epigenetic effectors and chromatin modifiers to the CRISPR/Cas ribonucleoprotein complex opens the possibility to introduce targeted epigenomic modifications in plants in an easily programmable manner. Here we examine some of the most important agronomic traits known to be controlled epigenetically and review the best studied epigenetic catalytic effectors in plants, such as DNA methylases/demethylases or histone acetylases/deacetylases and their associated marks. We also review the most efficient strategies developed to date to functionalize Cas proteins with both catalytic and non-catalytic epigenetic effectors, and the ability of these domains to influence the expression of endogenous genes in a regulatable manner. Based on these new technical developments, we discuss the possibilities offered by epigenetic editing tools in plant biotechnology and their implications in crop breeding.
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29
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A central circadian oscillator confers defense heterosis in hybrids without growth vigor costs. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2317. [PMID: 33875651 PMCID: PMC8055661 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22268-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant immunity frequently incurs growth penalties, which known as the trade-off between immunity and growth. Heterosis, the phenotypic superiority of a hybrid over its parents, has been demonstrated for many traits but rarely for disease resistance. Here, we report that the central circadian oscillator, CCA1, confers heterosis for bacterial defense in hybrids without growth vigor costs, and it even significantly enhances the growth heterosis of hybrids under pathogen infection. The genetic perturbation of CCA1 abrogated heterosis for both defense and growth in hybrids. Upon pathogen attack, the expression of CCA1 in F1 hybrids is precisely modulated at different time points during the day by its rhythmic histone modifications. Before dawn of the first infection day, epigenetic activation of CCA1 promotes an elevation of salicylic acid accumulation in hybrids, enabling heterosis for defense. During the middle of every infection day, diurnal epigenetic repression of CCA1 leads to rhythmically increased chlorophyll synthesis and starch metabolism in hybrids, effectively eliminating the immunity-growth heterosis trade-offs in hybrids. There is frequently a trade-off between plant immunity and growth. Here the authors show that the epigenetic control of CCA1, encoding a core component of the circadian oscillator, simultaneously promotes heterosis for both defense and growth in hybrids under pathogen invasion.
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30
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Vivek AT, Kumar S. Computational methods for annotation of plant regulatory non-coding RNAs using RNA-seq. Brief Bioinform 2020; 22:6041165. [PMID: 33333550 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbaa322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant transcriptome encompasses numerous endogenous, regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that play a major biological role in regulating key physiological mechanisms. While studies have shown that ncRNAs are extremely diverse and ubiquitous, the functions of the vast majority of ncRNAs are still unknown. With ever-increasing ncRNAs under study, it is essential to identify, categorize and annotate these ncRNAs on a genome-wide scale. The use of high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technologies provides a broader picture of the non-coding component of transcriptome, enabling the comprehensive identification and annotation of all major ncRNAs across samples. However, the detection of known and emerging class of ncRNAs from RNA-seq data demands complex computational methods owing to their unique as well as similar characteristics. Here, we discuss major plant endogenous, regulatory ncRNAs in an RNA sample followed by computational strategies applied to discover each class of ncRNAs using RNA-seq. We also provide a collection of relevant software packages and databases to present a comprehensive bioinformatics toolbox for plant ncRNA researchers. We assume that the discussions in this review will provide a rationale for the discovery of all major categories of plant ncRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A T Vivek
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research in New Delhi, India
| | - Shailesh Kumar
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research in New Delhi
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31
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Quantitative Epigenetics: A New Avenue for Crop Improvement. EPIGENOMES 2020; 4:epigenomes4040025. [PMID: 34968304 PMCID: PMC8594725 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes4040025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant breeding conventionally depends on genetic variability available in a species to improve a particular trait in the crop. However, epigenetic diversity may provide an additional tier of variation. The recent advent of epigenome technologies has elucidated the role of epigenetic variation in shaping phenotype. Furthermore, the development of epigenetic recombinant inbred lines (epi-RILs) in model species such as Arabidopsis has enabled accurate genetic analysis of epigenetic variation. Subsequently, mapping of epigenetic quantitative trait loci (epiQTL) allowed association between epialleles and phenotypic traits. Likewise, epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) and epi-genotyping by sequencing (epi-GBS) have revolutionized the field of epigenetics research in plants. Thus, quantitative epigenetics provides ample opportunities to dissect the role of epigenetic variation in trait regulation, which can be eventually utilized in crop improvement programs. Moreover, locus-specific manipulation of DNA methylation by epigenome-editing tools such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) can potentially facilitate epigenetic based molecular breeding of important crop plants.
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32
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Pecinka A, Chevalier C, Colas I, Kalantidis K, Varotto S, Krugman T, Michailidis C, Vallés MP, Muñoz A, Pradillo M. Chromatin dynamics during interphase and cell division: similarities and differences between model and crop plants. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:5205-5222. [PMID: 31626285 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Genetic information in the cell nucleus controls organismal development and responses to the environment, and finally ensures its own transmission to the next generations. To achieve so many different tasks, the genetic information is associated with structural and regulatory proteins, which orchestrate nuclear functions in time and space. Furthermore, plant life strategies require chromatin plasticity to allow a rapid adaptation to abiotic and biotic stresses. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the organization of plant chromatin and dynamics of chromosomes during interphase and mitotic and meiotic cell divisions for model and crop plants differing as to genome size, ploidy, and amount of genomic resources available. The existing data indicate that chromatin changes accompany most (if not all) cellular processes and that there are both shared and unique themes in the chromatin structure and global chromosome dynamics among species. Ongoing efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in chromatin organization and remodeling have, together with the latest genome editing tools, potential to unlock crop genomes for innovative breeding strategies and improvements of various traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ales Pecinka
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Acad Sci, Centre of the Region Haná for Agricultural and Biotechnological Research, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | - Isabelle Colas
- James Hutton Institute, Cell and Molecular Science, Pr Waugh's Lab, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK
| | - Kriton Kalantidis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, and Institute of Molecular Biology Biotechnology, FoRTH, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Serena Varotto
- Department of Agronomy Animal Food Natural Resources and Environment (DAFNAE) University of Padova, Agripolis viale dell'Università, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Tamar Krugman
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Christos Michailidis
- Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Acad Sci, Praha 6 - Lysolaje, Czech Republic
| | - María-Pilar Vallés
- Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Estación Experimental Aula Dei (EEAD), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Aitor Muñoz
- Department of Plant Molecular Genetics, National Center of Biotechnology/Superior Council of Scientific Research, Autónoma University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mónica Pradillo
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Sinha P, Singh VK, Saxena RK, Kale SM, Li Y, Garg V, Meifang T, Khan AW, Kim KD, Chitikineni A, Saxena KB, Sameer Kumar CV, Liu X, Xu X, Jackson S, Powell W, Nevo E, Searle IR, Lodha M, Varshney RK. Genome-wide analysis of epigenetic and transcriptional changes associated with heterosis in pigeonpea. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2020; 18:1697-1710. [PMID: 31925873 PMCID: PMC7336283 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Hybrids are extensively used in agriculture to deliver an increase in yield, yet the molecular basis of heterosis is not well understood. Global DNA methylation analysis, transcriptome analysis and small RNA profiling were aimed to understand the epigenetic effect of the changes in gene expression level in the two hybrids and their parental lines. Increased DNA methylation was observed in both the hybrids as compared to their parents. This increased DNA methylation in hybrids showed that majority of the 24-nt siRNA clusters had higher expression in hybrids than the parents. Transcriptome analysis revealed that various phytohormones (auxin and salicylic acid) responsive hybrid-MPV DEGs were significantly altered in both the hybrids in comparison to MPV. DEGs associated with plant immunity and growth were overexpressed whereas DEGs associated with basal defence level were repressed. This antagonistic patterns of gene expression might contribute to the greater growth of the hybrids. It was also noticed that some common as well as unique changes in the regulatory pathways were associated with heterotic growth in both the hybrids. Approximately 70% and 67% of down-regulated hybrid-MPV DEGs were found to be differentially methylated in ICPH 2671 and ICPH 2740 hybrid, respectively. This reflected the association of epigenetic regulation in altered gene expressions. Our findings also revealed that miRNAs might play important roles in hybrid vigour in both the hybrids by regulating their target genes, especially in controlling plant growth and development, defence and stress response pathways. The above finding provides an insight into the molecular mechanism of pigeonpea heterosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Sinha
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | - Vikas K. Singh
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
- International Rice Research Institute, South‐Asia HubPatancheruIndia
| | - Rachit K. Saxena
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | - Sandip M. Kale
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
- The Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant ResearchGaterslebenGermany
| | | | - Vanika Garg
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | | | - Aamir W. Khan
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | - Kyung Do Kim
- University of GeorgiaAthensUSA
- Myongji UniversityYonginRepublic of Korea
| | - Annapurna Chitikineni
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | - K. B. Saxena
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | - C. V. Sameer Kumar
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
| | | | - Xun Xu
- BGI‐ShenzhenShenzhenChina
| | | | | | | | | | - Mukesh Lodha
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR)HyderabadIndia
| | - Rajeev K. Varshney
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi‐Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)PatancheruIndia
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Li J, Yang DL, Huang H, Zhang G, He L, Pang J, Lozano-Durán R, Lang Z, Zhu JK. Epigenetic memory marks determine epiallele stability at loci targeted by de novo DNA methylation. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:661-674. [PMID: 32514141 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0671-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
It is generally assumed that DNA methylation changes at genomic regions targeted by the de novo RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway are unstable. Here, we show that RdDM targets in Arabidopsis can be classified into two groups on the basis of whether there is remethylation following the restoration of NRPD1 function in nrpd1 mutant plants-remethylable loci and non-remethylable loci. In contrast to the remethylable loci, the non-remethylable loci contain higher levels of the euchromatic marks of trimethylation at Lys 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3), which interferes with the recruitment of the RdDM molecular machinery, and acetylation at Lys 18 of histone H3 (H3K18ac), which helps to recruit the DNA demethylase ROS1 to antagonize RdDM. Here, using targeted methylation erasure by CRISPR-dCas9-TET1, we demonstrate that methylated CG (mCG) and mCHG (where H represents A, C or T) are memory marks that are required for targeting the RdDM machinery to remethylable loci. Our results show that histone and DNA methylation marks are critical in determining the ability of RdDM target loci to form stable epialleles, and contribute to understanding the formation and transmission of epialleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwen Li
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dong-Lei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Huan Huang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Guiping Zhang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Li He
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Pang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rosa Lozano-Durán
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaobo Lang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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35
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Amalraj B, Govindaraju P, Krishna A, Lavania D, Linh NM, Ravichandran SJ, Scarpella E. GAL4
/
GFP enhancer‐trap
lines for identification and manipulation of cells and tissues in developing Arabidopsis leaves. Dev Dyn 2020; 249:1127-1146. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brindhi Amalraj
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | | | - Anmol Krishna
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Dhruv Lavania
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Nguyen M. Linh
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | | | - Enrico Scarpella
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
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Lu Y, Zhou DX, Zhao Y. Understanding epigenomics based on the rice model. TAG. THEORETICAL AND APPLIED GENETICS. THEORETISCHE UND ANGEWANDTE GENETIK 2020; 133:1345-1363. [PMID: 31897514 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-019-03518-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the recent researches on rice epigenomics, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, noncoding RNAs, and three-dimensional genomics. The challenges and perspectives for future research in rice are discussed. Rice as a model plant for epigenomic studies has much progressed current understanding of epigenetics in plants. Recent results on rice epigenome profiling and three-dimensional chromatin structure studies reveal specific features and implication in gene regulation during rice plant development and adaptation to environmental changes. Results on rice chromatin regulator functions shed light on mechanisms of establishment, recognition, and resetting of epigenomic information in plants. Cloning of several rice epialleles associated with important agronomic traits highlights importance of epigenomic variation in rice plant growth, fitness, and yield. In this review, we summarize and analyze recent advances in rice epigenomics and discuss challenges and directions for future research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Lu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Dao-Xiu Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
- Institute of Plant Science of Paris-Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, INRA, University Paris-Sud, University Paris-Saclay, 91405, Orsay, France
| | - Yu Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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37
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Morgado L, Johannes F. Computational tools for plant small RNA detection and categorization. Brief Bioinform 2020; 20:1181-1192. [PMID: 29059285 PMCID: PMC6781577 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbx136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Revised: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Small RNAs (sRNAs) are important short-length molecules with regulatory functions essential for plant development and plasticity. High-throughput sequencing of total sRNA populations has revealed that the largest share of sRNA remains uncategorized. To better understand the role of sRNA-mediated cellular regulation, it is necessary to create accurate and comprehensive catalogues of sRNA and their sequence features, a task that currently relies on nontrivial bioinformatic approaches. Although a large number of computational tools have been developed to predict features of sRNA sequences, these tools are mostly dedicated to microRNAs and none integrates the functionalities necessary to describe units from all sRNA pathways thus far discovered in plants. Here, we review the different classes of sRNA found in plants and describe available bioinformatics tools that can help in their detection and categorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Morgado
- Corresponding author: Lionel Morgado, Groningen Bioinformatics Centre, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 25 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 685 585 827; E-mail:
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38
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Chow HT, Chakraborty T, Mosher RA. RNA-directed DNA Methylation and sexual reproduction: expanding beyond the seed. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 54:11-17. [PMID: 31881293 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Two trends are changing our understanding of RNA-directed DNA methylation. In model systems like Arabidopsis, tissue-specific analysis of DNA methylation is uncovering dynamic changes in methylation during sexual reproduction and unraveling the contribution of maternal and paternal epigenomes to the developing embryo. These studies indicate that RNA-directed DNA Methylation might be important for mediating balance between maternal and paternal contributions to the endosperm. At the same time, researchers are moving beyond Arabidopsis to illuminate the ancestral role of RdDM in non-flowering plants that lack an endosperm, suggesting that RdDM might play a broader role in sexual reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Tung Chow
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Tania Chakraborty
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Rebecca A Mosher
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States.
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39
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Zhao H, Zhang W, Zhang T, Lin Y, Hu Y, Fang C, Jiang J. Genome-wide MNase hypersensitivity assay unveils distinct classes of open chromatin associated with H3K27me3 and DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genome Biol 2020; 21:24. [PMID: 32014062 PMCID: PMC6996174 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-1927-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regulation of transcription depends on interactions between cis-regulatory elements (CREs) and regulatory proteins. Active CREs are imbedded in open chromatin that are accessible to nucleases. Several techniques, including DNase-seq, which is based on nuclease DNase I, and ATAC-seq, which is based on transposase Tn5, have been widely used to identify genomic regions associated with open chromatin. These techniques have played a key role in dissecting the regulatory networks in gene expression in both animal and plant species. RESULTS We develop a technique, named MNase hypersensitivity sequencing (MH-seq), to identify genomic regions associated with open chromatin in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genomic regions enriched with MH-seq reads are referred as MNase hypersensitive sites (MHSs). MHSs overlap with the majority (~ 90%) of the open chromatin identified previously by DNase-seq and ATAC-seq. Surprisingly, 22% MHSs are not covered by DNase-seq or ATAC-seq reads, which are referred to "specific MHSs" (sMHSs). sMHSs tend to be located away from promoters, and a substantial portion of sMHSs are derived from transposable elements. Most interestingly, genomic regions containing sMHSs are enriched with epigenetic marks, including H3K27me3 and DNA methylation. In addition, sMHSs show a number of distinct characteristics including association with transcriptional repressors. Thus, sMHSs span distinct classes of open chromatin that may not be accessible to DNase I or Tn5. We hypothesize that the small size of the MNase enzyme relative to DNase I or Tn5 allows its access to relatively more condensed chromatin domains. CONCLUSION MNase can be used to identify open chromatin regions that are not accessible to DNase I or Tn5. Thus, MH-seq provides an important tool to identify and catalog all classes of open chromatin in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hainan Zhao
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Wenli Zhang
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agriculture University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
- Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology of Jiangsu Province/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yuan Lin
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Yaodong Hu
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Chao Fang
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Jiming Jiang
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
- Michigan State University AgBioResearch, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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40
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Yang H, Yang Z, Mao Z, Li Y, Hu D, Li X, Shi G, Huang F, Liu B, Kong F, Yu D. Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Analysis of Soybean Curled-Cotyledons Mutant and Functional Evaluation of a Homeodomain-Leucine Zipper (HD-Zip) I Gene GmHDZ20. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:593999. [PMID: 33505408 PMCID: PMC7830220 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.593999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation is a major, conserved epigenetic modification that influences many biological processes. Cotyledons are specialized tissues that provide nutrition for seedlings at the early developmental stage. To investigate the patterns of genomic DNA methylation of germinated cotyledons in soybean (Glycine max) and its effect on cotyledon development, we performed a genome-wide comparative analysis of DNA methylation between the soybean curled-cotyledons (cco) mutant, which has abnormal cotyledons, and its corresponding wild type (WT) by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. The cco mutant was methylated at more sites but at a slightly lower level overall than the WT on the whole-genome level. A total of 46 CG-, 92 CHG-, and 9723 CHH- (H = A, C, or T) differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were identified in cotyledons. Notably, hypomethylated CHH-DMGs were enriched in the gene ontology term "sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity." We selected a DMG encoding a homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) I subgroup transcription factor (GmHDZ20) for further functional characterization. GmHDZ20 localized to the nucleus and was highly expressed in leaf and cotyledon tissues. Constitutive expression of GmHDZ20 in Arabidopsis thaliana led to serrated rosette leaves, shorter siliques, and reduced seed number per silique. A yeast two-hybrid assay revealed that GmHDZ20 physically interacted with three proteins associated with multiple aspects of plant growth. Collectively, our results provide a comprehensive study of soybean DNA methylation in normal and aberrant cotyledons, which will be useful for the identification of specific DMGs that participate in cotyledon development, and also provide a foundation for future in-depth functional study of GmHDZ20 in soybean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yang
- Innovative Center of Molecular Genetics and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Hui Yang,
| | - Zhongyi Yang
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhuozhuo Mao
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yali Li
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dezhou Hu
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Li
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guixia Shi
- Institute of Industrial Crops, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Fang Huang
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Baohui Liu
- Innovative Center of Molecular Genetics and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fanjiang Kong
- Innovative Center of Molecular Genetics and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Deyue Yu
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Deyue Yu,
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41
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Li WF, Ning GX, Mao J, Guo ZG, Zhou Q, Chen BH. Whole-genome DNA methylation patterns and complex associations with gene expression associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple fruit skin. PLANTA 2019; 250:1833-1847. [PMID: 31471637 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03266-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes and MYB/bHLH transcription factors was associated with apple fruit skin color revealed by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. DNA methylation is a common feature of epigenetic regulation and is associated with various biological processes. Anthocyanins are among the secondary metabolites that contribute to fruit colour, which is a key appearance and nutrition quality attribute of apple fruit. Although few studies reported that DNA methylation in the promoter of MYB transcription factor was associated with fruit skin color, there is a general lack of understanding of the dynamics of global and genic DNA methylation in apple fruit. Here, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was carried out in fruit skin of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cv. 'Red Delicious' (G0) and its four-generation bud sport mutants, including 'Starking Red' (G1), 'Starkrimson' (G2), 'Campbell Redchief' (G3) and 'Vallee spur' (G4) at color break stage. Correlation and linear-regression analysis between DNA methylation level and anthocyanin content, as well as the transcription levels of genes related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were carried out. The results showed that the number of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and differentially methylated genes (DMGs) was considerably increased from G1 to G4 versus the number observed in G0. The mCHH context was dominant in apple, but the levels of mCG and mCHG of DMGs were significantly higher than that of the mCHH. Genetic variation of bud sport mutants from 'Red Delicious' was associated with differential DNA methylation. Additionally, hypomethylation of mCG and mCHG contexts in flavonoid biosynthesis pathway genes (PAL, 4CL, CYP98A, PER, CCoAOMT, CHS, and F3'H), mCHG context in MYB10 at upstream, led to transcriptional activation and was conductive to anthocyanin accumulation. However, hypermethylation of mCG context in bHLH74 at upstream led to transcriptional inhibition, inhibiting anthocyanin accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Fang Li
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Gai-Xing Ning
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Juan Mao
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi-Gang Guo
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Zhou
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Bai-Hong Chen
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, 730070, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China.
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de Los Reyes BG. Genomic and epigenomic bases of transgressive segregation - New breeding paradigm for novel plant phenotypes. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 288:110213. [PMID: 31521221 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
For a holistic approach in developing the stress-resilient crops of the 21st century, modern genomic biology will need to re-envision the underappreciated phenomena in classical genetics, and incorporate them into the new plant breeding paradigm. Advances in evolutionary genomics support a theory that genetic recombination under genome shock during hybridization of widely divergent parents is an important driver of adaptive speciation, by virtue of the novelties of rare hybrids and recombinants. The enormous potential of genetic network rewiring to generate developmental or physiological novelties with adaptive advantage to special ecological niches has been appreciated. Developmental and physiological reconfiguration through network rewiring involves intricate molecular synergies controlled both at the genetic and epigenetic levels, as typified by the phenomenon of transgressive segregation, observed in both natural and breeding populations. This paper presents modern views on the possible molecular underpinnings of transgressive phenotypes as they are created in plant breeding, expanded from classical explanations through the Omnigenic Theory for quantitative traits and modern paradigms of epigenetics. Perspectives on how genomic biology can fully exploit this phenomenon to create novel phenotypes beyond what could be achieved through the more reductionist approach of functional genomics are presented in context of genomic modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benildo G de Los Reyes
- Department of Plant and Soil Science Texas Tech University 215 Experimental Sciences Building, Lubbock, TX 806-834-6421, USA.
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Abstract
DNA methylation is a conserved epigenetic modification that is important for gene regulation and genome stability. Aberrant patterns of DNA methylation can lead to plant developmental abnormalities. A specific DNA methylation state is an outcome of dynamic regulation by de novo methylation, maintenance of methylation and active demethylation, which are catalysed by various enzymes that are targeted by distinct regulatory pathways. In this Review, we discuss DNA methylation in plants, including methylating and demethylating enzymes and regulatory factors, and the coordination of methylation and demethylation activities by a so-called methylstat mechanism; the functions of DNA methylation in regulating transposon silencing, gene expression and chromosome interactions; the roles of DNA methylation in plant development; and the involvement of DNA methylation in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress conditions.
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Lv Z, Zhang W, Wu Y, Huang S, Zhou Y, Zhang A, Deng X, Xu C, Xu Z, Gong L, Liu B. Extensive allele-level remodeling of histone methylation modification in reciprocal F 1 hybrids of rice subspecies. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 97:571-586. [PMID: 30375057 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms play a major role in heterosis, partly as a result of the remodeling of epigenetic modifications in F1 hybrids. Based on chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-Seq) analyses, we show that at the allele level extensive histone methylation remodeling occurred for a subset of genomic loci in reciprocal F1 hybrids of Oryza sativa (rice) cultivars Nipponbare and 93-11, representing the two subspecies japonica and indica. Globally, the allele modification-altered loci in leaf or root of the reciprocal F1 hybrids involved ˜12-43% or more of the genomic regions carrying either of two typical histone methylation markers, H3K4me3 (>21 000 genomic regions) and H3K27me3 (>11 000 genomic regions). Nevertheless, at the total modification level, the majority (from ˜43 to >90%) of the modification-altered alleles lay within the range of parental additivity in the hybrids because of concerted alteration in opposite directions, consistent with an overall attenuation of allelic differences in the modifications. Importantly, of the genomic regions that did show non-additivity in total modification level by either marker in the two tissues of hybrids, >80% manifested transgressivity, which involved genes enriched in specific functional categories. Extensive allele-level alteration of H3K4me3 alone was positively correlated with genome-wide changes in allele-level gene expression, whereas at the total level, both H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 remodeling, although affecting just a small number of genes, contributes to the overall non-additive gene expression to variable extents, depending on tissue/marker combinations. Our results emphasize the importance of allele-level analysis in hybrids to assess the remodeling of epigenetic modifications and their relation to changes in gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenling Lv
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Wenjie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Ying Wu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Shuangzhan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Yunxiao Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Ai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Xin Deng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Chunming Xu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Zhengyi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Lei Gong
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Bao Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
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Duan CG, Zhu JK, Cao X. Retrospective and perspective of plant epigenetics in China. J Genet Genomics 2018; 45:621-638. [PMID: 30455036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetics refers to the study of heritable changes in gene function that do not involve changes in the DNA sequence. Such effects on cellular and physiological phenotypic traits may result from external or environmental factors or be part of normal developmental program. In eukaryotes, DNA wraps on a histone octamer (two copies of H2A, H2B, H3 and H4) to form nucleosome, the fundamental unit of chromatin. The structure of chromatin is subjected to a dynamic regulation through multiple epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs), chromatin remodeling and noncoding RNAs. As conserved regulatory mechanisms in gene expression, epigenetic mechanisms participate in almost all the important biological processes ranging from basal development to environmental response. Importantly, all of the major epigenetic mechanisms in mammalians also occur in plants. Plant studies have provided numerous important contributions to the epigenetic research. For example, gene imprinting, a mechanism of parental allele-specific gene expression, was firstly observed in maize; evidence of paramutation, an epigenetic phenomenon that one allele acts in a single locus to induce a heritable change in the other allele, was firstly reported in maize and tomato. Moreover, some unique epigenetic mechanisms have been evolved in plants. For example, the 24-nt siRNA-involved RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway is plant-specific because of the involvements of two plant-specific DNA-dependent RNA polymerases, Pol IV and Pol V. A thorough study of epigenetic mechanisms is of great significance to improve crop agronomic traits and environmental adaptability. In this review, we make a brief summary of important progress achieved in plant epigenetics field in China over the past several decades and give a brief outlook on future research prospects. We focus our review on DNA methylation and histone PTMs, the two most important aspects of epigenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Guo Duan
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
| | - Xiaofeng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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Lee CH, Carroll BJ. Evolution and Diversification of Small RNA Pathways in Flowering Plants. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 59:2169-2187. [PMID: 30169685 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcy167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Small regulatory RNAs guide gene silencing at the DNA or RNA level through repression of complementary sequences. The two main forms of small RNAs are microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNAs), which are generated from the processing of different forms of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) precursors. These two forms of small regulatory RNAs function in distinct but overlapping gene silencing pathways in plants. Gene silencing pathways in eukaryotes evolved from an ancient prokaryotic mechanism involved in genome defense against invasive genetic elements, but has since diversified to also play a crucial role in regulation of endogenous gene expression. Here, we review the biogenesis of the different forms of small RNAs in plants, including miRNAs, phased, secondary siRNAs (phasiRNAs) and heterochromatic siRNAs (hetsiRNAs), with a focus on their functions in genome defense, transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing, RNA-directed DNA methylation, trans-chromosomal methylation and paramutation. We also discuss the important role that gene duplication has played in the functional diversification of gene silencing pathways in plants, and we highlight recently discovered components of gene silencing pathways in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin Hong Lee
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Bernard J Carroll
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Li H, Yuan J, Wu M, Han Z, Li L, Jiang H, Jia Y, Han X, Liu M, Sun D, Chen C, Song W, Wang C. Transcriptome and DNA methylome reveal insights into yield heterosis in the curds of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L var. italic). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 18:168. [PMID: 30103674 PMCID: PMC6090608 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1384-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Curds are the main edible organs, which exhibit remarkable yield heterosis in F1 hybrid broccoli. However, the molecular basis underlying heterosis in broccoli remains elusive. RESULTS In the present study, transcriptome profiles revealed that the hybridization made most genes show additive expression patterns in hybrid broccoli. The differentially expressed genes including the non-additively expressed genes detected in the hybrid broccoli and its parents were mainly involved in light, hormone and hydrogen peroxide-mediated signaling pathways, responses to stresses, and regulation of floral development, which suggested that these biological processes should play crucial roles in the yield heterosis of broccoli. Among them, light and hydrogen peroxide-mediated signaling pathways represent two novel classes of regulatory processes that could function in yield or biomass heterosis of plants. Totally, 53 candidate genes closely involved in curd yield heterosis were identified. Methylome data indicated that the DNA methylation ratio of the hybrids was higher than that of their parents. However, the DNA methylation levels of most sites also displayed additive expression patterns. These sites with differential methylation levels were predominant in the intergenic regions. In most cases, the changes of DNA methylation levels in gene regions did not significantly affect their expression levels. CONCLUSIONS The differentially expressed genes, the regulatory processes and the possible roles of DNA methylation modification in the formation of curd yield heterotic trait were discovered. These findings provided comprehensive insights into the curd yield heterosis in broccoli, and were significant for breeding high-yield broccoli varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jiye Yuan
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Mei Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhanpin Han
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lihong Li
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hanmin Jiang
- Tianjin Kernel Vegetable Research Institute, Tianjin, China
| | - Yinglan Jia
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xue Han
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Min Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong China
| | - Deling Sun
- Tianjin Kernel Vegetable Research Institute, Tianjin, China
| | - Chengbin Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenqin Song
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Chunguo Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
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Cheng F, Wu J, Cai X, Liang J, Freeling M, Wang X. Gene retention, fractionation and subgenome differences in polyploid plants. NATURE PLANTS 2018; 4:258-268. [PMID: 29725103 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0136-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
All natural plant species are evolved from ancient polyploids. Polyloidization plays an important role in plant genome evolution, species divergence and crop domestication. We review how the pattern of polyploidy within the plant phylogenetic tree has engendered hypotheses involving mass extinctions, lag-times following polyploidy, and epochs of asexuality. Polyploidization has happened repeatedly in plant evolution and, we conclude, is important for crop domestication. Once duplicated, the effect of purifying selection on any one duplicated gene is relaxed, permitting duplicate gene and regulatory element loss (fractionation). We review the general topic of fractionation, and how some gene categories are retained more than others. Several explanations, including neofunctionalization, subfunctionalization and gene product dosage balance, have been shown to influence gene content over time. For allopolyploids, genetic differences between parental lines immediately manifest as subgenome dominance in the wide-hybrid, and persist and propagate for tens of millions of years. While epigenetic modifications are certainly involved in genome dominance, it has been difficult to determine which came first, the chromatin marks being measured or gene expression. Data support the conclusion that genome dominance and heterosis are antagonistic and mechanically entangled; both happen immediately in the synthetic wide-cross hybrid. Also operating in this hybrid are mechanisms of 'paralogue interference'. We present a foundation model to explain gene expression and vigour in a wide hybrid/new allotetraploid. This Review concludes that some mechanisms operate immediately at the wide-hybrid, and other mechanisms begin their operations later. Direct interaction of new paralogous genes, as measured using high-resolution chromatin conformation capture, should inform future research and single cell transcriptome sequencing should help achieve specificity while studying gene sub- and neo-functionalization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Cheng
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sino-Dutch Joint Laboratory of Horticultural Genomics, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Wu
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sino-Dutch Joint Laboratory of Horticultural Genomics, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Cai
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sino-Dutch Joint Laboratory of Horticultural Genomics, Beijing, China
| | - Jianli Liang
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sino-Dutch Joint Laboratory of Horticultural Genomics, Beijing, China
| | - Michael Freeling
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Xiaowu Wang
- Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture, Sino-Dutch Joint Laboratory of Horticultural Genomics, Beijing, China.
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protected Vegetable Molecular Breeding, Shandong Shouguang Vegetable Seed Industry Group Co. Ltd., Shandong Province, China.
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Liu C, Wang M, Wang L, Guo Q, Liang G. Extensive genetic and DNA methylation variation contribute to heterosis in triploid loquat hybrids. Genome 2018; 61:437-447. [PMID: 29687741 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2017-0232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We aim to overcome the unclear origin of the loquat and elucidate the heterosis mechanism of the triploid loquat. Here we investigated the genetic and epigenetic variations between the triploid plant and its parental lines using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MSAP) analyses. We show that in addition to genetic variations, extensive DNA methylation variation occurred during the formation process of triploid loquat, with the triploid hybrid having increased DNA methylation compared to the parents. Furthermore, a correlation existed between genetic variation and DNA methylation remodeling, suggesting that genome instability may lead to DNA methylation variation or vice versa. Sequence analysis of the MSAP bands revealed that over 53% of them overlap with protein-coding genes, which may indicate a functional role of the differential DNA methylation in gene regulation and hence heterosis phenotypes. Consistent with this, the genetic and epigenetic alterations were associated closely to the heterosis phenotypes of triploid loquat, and this association varied for different traits. Our results suggested that the formation of triploid is accompanied by extensive genetic and DNA methylation variation, and these changes contribute to the heterosis phenotypes of the triploid loquats from the two cross lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Liu
- a Key Laboratory of Horticulture Science for Southern Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education/College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road 2, 400715, Chongqing, P.R. China
| | - Mingbo Wang
- b CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra ACT 2061, Australia
| | - Lingli Wang
- c Technical Advice Station of Economic Crop, Yubei district, Chongqing, P.R. China
| | - Qigao Guo
- a Key Laboratory of Horticulture Science for Southern Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education/College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road 2, 400715, Chongqing, P.R. China
| | - Guolu Liang
- a Key Laboratory of Horticulture Science for Southern Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education/College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University, Tiansheng Road 2, 400715, Chongqing, P.R. China
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50
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Gouil Q, Baulcombe DC. Paramutation-like features of multiple natural epialleles in tomato. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:203. [PMID: 29554868 PMCID: PMC5859443 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4590-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Freakish and rare or the tip of the iceberg? Both phrases have been used to refer to paramutation, an epigenetic drive that contravenes Mendel’s first law of segregation. Although its underlying mechanisms are beginning to unravel, its understanding relies only on a few examples that may involve transgenes or artificially generated epialleles. Results By using DNA methylation of introgression lines as an indication of past paramutation, we reveal that the paramutation-like properties of the H06 locus in hybrids of Solanum lycopersicum and a range of tomato relatives and cultivars depend on the timing of sRNA production and conform to an RNA-directed mechanism. In addition, by scanning the methylomes of tomato introgression lines for shared regions of differential methylation that are absent in the S. lycopersicum parent, we identify thousands of candidate regions for paramutation-like behaviour. The methylation patterns for a subset of these regions segregate with non Mendelian ratios, consistent with secondary paramutation-like interactions to variable extents depending on the locus. Conclusion Together these results demonstrate that paramutation-like epigenetic interactions are common for natural epialleles in tomato, but vary in timing and penetrance. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4590-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Gouil
- Present address: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, 3052, Australia. .,Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
| | - David C Baulcombe
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
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