Project description:The objective of this study was to identify nutrient-responsive small RNAs in different tissues and in phloem sap of rape plants. miRNA microarrays containing all currently known plant miRNAs (Sanger miRBase versions 10.0, 10.1 and 11.0), and a set of unknown small RNAs cloned earlier from Brassica phloem sap (Bn_PsRNA) were used. The phloem, leaf and root response to nutrient deficiency were analyzed by removing either sulfate, copper or iron from the growth medium. The small RNA profile from phloem and inflorescence stems of plants grown under full nutrition conditions was also analyzed and compared. The study demonstrates that the phloem sap sRNA profile is distinct from that of the inflorescence stems, leaves and roots. Furthermore, we could identify phloem-enriched small RNAs and showed that some of them specifically accumulate in the phloem in response to nutrient deprivation.
Project description:The maturation of an oocyte, the female gamete, during folliculogenesis is highly dependent on the molecular interaction with the somatic cells. Here we generated transcriptome data of single oocytes and the surrounding cumulus cells from antral follicles, and developed an analytical framework to unveil their inter-cellular communication. We identified hundreds of ligand-receptors pairs that can transduce paracrine signaling between oocyte and cumulus. Several of the ligand-coding genes expressed in oocytes and cumulus cells are also functionally associated with regulation of transcription. Ligand-coding genes expressed in oocytes or cumulus showed distinct enrichment for biological functions that are likely associated with a coordinated formation of the transzonal projections from the cumulus that reach the oocyte’s membrane. Finally, there were thousands of gene pairs with non-trivial linear co-expression pattern between oocytes and cumulus cells. Our analyses revealed a complex and functional regulatory circuit between the oocyte and surrounding cumulus cells.
Project description:The vascular system of plants consists of xylem, phloem and procambium in a specific pattern. The phloem consists of sieve elements, the apparatus for bulk flow of photo-assimilates, and companion cells, which mediate transport of photo-assimilates between the sieve elements and surrounding cells and support the biological activities of the sieve element cells. The regulatory mechanisms of vascular development are being uncovered. Here we show that PHLOEM EARLY DOFs (PEARs) and related genes (collectively phloem-Dofs) not only regulate the number of procambium cell files, but also positively regulate phloem differentiation. Overexpression of phloem-Dofs induced cells that expressed either sieve element or companion cell marker genes, which are mutually exclusive. Conversely, disruption of phloem-Dofs caused loss of phloem. Phloem-Dofs induce CLAVATA3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-RELATED25 (CLE25) and CLE26 peptides, which in turn inhibit expression of phloem-Dofs and phloem formation, forming a negative feedback loop. Disruption of multiple genes for either phloem-expressed CLEs, BARELY ANY MERISTEM (BAM)-class receptors, or their coreceptors, CLAVATA3 INSENSITIVE RECEPTOR KINASEs (CIKs), caused excess formation of phloem cell files. We further show that phloem-Dofs are under positive self and mutual regulation. These positive and negative feedback loops create the proper phloem pattern.
Project description:Stems and leaves from 4 week old flax plants were hybridized to an array of cDNAs from the outer (i.e. phloem enriched) layer of stems of the same age to identify transcripts enriched in stem (and phloem bast fibres).
Project description:Cells communicate with each other via receptor-ligand interactions. Here we describe lentiviral-mediated cell e¬ntry by engineered receptor-ligand interaction (ENTER) to display ligand proteins, deliver payloads, and record receptor specificity. We optimize ENTER to decode interactions between T cell receptor (TCR)-MHC peptides, antibody-antigen, and other receptor-ligand pairs. A viral presentation strategy allows ENTER to capture interactions between B cell receptor and any antigen. We engineer ENTER to deliver genetic payloads to antigen-specific T or B cells to selectively modulate cellular behavior in mixed populations. Single-cell readout of ENTER by RNA-sequencing (ENTER-seq) enables multiplexed enumeration of antigen specificities, TCR clonality, cell-type and states of individual T cells. ENTER-seq of CMV-seropositive patient blood samples reveals the viral epitopes that drive effector memory T cell differentiation and inter- vs intra-clonal phenotypic diversity targeting the same epitope. ENTER technology enables systematic discovery of receptor specificity, linkage to cell fates, and antigen-specific cargo delivery.
Project description:Cells communicate with each other via receptor-ligand interactions. Here we describe lentiviral-mediated cell e¬ntry by engineered receptor-ligand interaction (ENTER) to display ligand proteins, deliver payloads, and record receptor specificity. We optimize ENTER to decode interactions between T cell receptor (TCR)-MHC peptides, antibody-antigen, and other receptor-ligand pairs. A viral presentation strategy allows ENTER to capture interactions between B cell receptor and any antigen. We engineer ENTER to deliver genetic payloads to antigen-specific T or B cells to selectively modulate cellular behavior in mixed populations. Single-cell readout of ENTER by RNA-sequencing (ENTER-seq) enables multiplexed enumeration of antigen specificities, TCR clonality, cell-type and states of individual T cells. ENTER-seq of CMV-seropositive patient blood samples reveals the viral epitopes that drive effector memory T cell differentiation and inter- vs intra-clonal phenotypic diversity targeting the same epitope. ENTER technology enables systematic discovery of receptor specificity, linkage to cell fates, and antigen-specific cargo delivery.
Project description:We report the application of laser capture microdissection (LCM) for high resolution transcriptome profiling of the second internode of the Arabidopsis thaliana inflorescence stem. In this series, we used LCM to determine and compare the transcriptome profiles of the phloem cap, the pith, and the remaining vascular bundle area.
Project description:Inflorescence architecture in cereal crops directly impacts yield potential through regulation of seed number and harvesting ability. Extensive architectural diversity found in inflorescences of grass species is due to spatial and temporal activity and determinacy of meristems, which control the number and arrangement of branches and flowers, and underlie plasticity. Timing of the floral transition is also intimately associated with inflorescence development and architecture. Here, we show that a single mutation in a gene encoding an AP1 A-class MADS-box transcription factor significantly delays flowering time and disrupts multiple levels of meristem determinacy in panicles of the C4 model panicoid grass, Setaria viridis.
Project description:Tumor ecosystems are composed of multiple cell types that communicate by ligand-receptor interactions. Targeting ligand-receptor interactions, for instance with immune check-point inhibitors, can provide significant benefit for patients. However, our knowledge of which interactions occur in a tumor and how these interactions affect outcome is still limited. We present an approach to characterize communication by ligand-receptor interactions across all cell types in a microenvironment using single-cell RNA sequencing. We apply this approach to identify and compare ligand-receptor interactions present in six syngeneic mouse tumor models. To identify interactions potentially associated with outcome, we regress interactions against phenotypic measurements of tumor growth rate. In addition, we quantify ligand-receptor interactions between T-cell subsets and their relation to immune infiltration using a publicly available human melanoma data-set. Overall, this approach provides a tool for studying cell-cell interactions, their variability across tumors, and their relationship to outcome.
Project description:The decision of whether to grow or to divert energy to stress response is a key physiological trade-off for plants seeking to survive under fluctuating environments. However, the cell-to-cell communication underlying this decision is largely unknown. Here we show that three orphan leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) act as direct ligand-perceiving receptors for PSY-family peptides and play a key role in local switching between two opposing pathways. In contrast to the known LRR-RKs which activate signaling upon ligand binding, PSY receptor (PSYR) signaling, which intrinsically induces a stress response, usually is repressed by ligands to permit growth. Conversely, PSYRs activate the expression of various genes encoding stress response transcription factors upon depletion of the ligands. Loss of PSYRs resulted in defects in the plant’s tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. This ligand-deprivation-dependent activation system enables plants to exert exquisitely tuned regulation of stress responses in the tissues proximal to metabolically dysfunctional damaged sites where ligand production is impaired.