Project description:The depiction of maize chromatin architecture using Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) provides great opportunities to investigate cis-regulatory elements, which is crucial for crop improvement. We demonstrate a streamlined ATAC-seq protocol for maize in which nuclei purification can be achieved without cell sorting, and using only a standard bench-top centrifuge. Our protocol, coupled with the bioinformatic analysis, provides a precise and efficient assessment of the maize chromatin landscape.
Project description:We compared the gene expression in post-mortem brain specimen dissected from 2 CADASIL patients with samples from 5 non-affected controls in order to discover genes differentially expressed that could be involved in the development of neuronal damage in SVD. Samples form frontal cortex and white matter and occipital cortex and white matter were used.
Project description:Cassava’s storage roots represent one of the most important sources of nutritional carbohydrates worldwide. Particularly, smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa depend on this crop plant, where resilient and yield-improved varieties are of vital importance to support steadily increasing populations. Aided by a growing understanding of the plant’s metabolism and physiology, targeted improvement concepts already led to visible gains in recent years. To expand our knowledge and to contribute to these successes, we investigated storage roots of eight cassava genotypes with differential dry matter content from three successive field trials for their proteomic and metabolic profiles. At large, the metabolic focus in storage roots transitioned from cellular growth processes towards carbohydrate and nitrogen storage with increasing dry matter content. This is reflected in higher abundance of proteins related to nucleotide synthesis, protein turnover and vacuolar energization in low starch genotypes, while proteins involved in sugar conversion and glycolysis were more prevalent in high dry matter genotypes. This shift in metabolic orientation was underlined by a clear transition from oxidative- to substrate-level phosphorylation in high dry matter genotypes. Our analyses highlight metabolic patterns that are consistently and quantitatively associated with high dry matter accumulation in cassava storage roots, providing fundamental understandings of cassava’s metabolism as well as a data resource for targeted genetic improvement.
Project description:Background: Understanding the developmental mechanisms that regulate hair cell differentiation in the cochlea is essential to designing genetic therapies for acquired hearing loss due to hair cell loss or damage. We have previously identified Fibroblast Growth Factor 20 (FGF20) as having a key role in hair cell and supporting cell differentiation and patterning in the mouse cochlear sensory epithelium. To investigate the genetic landscape regulated by FGF20 signaling in hair cell and supporting cell progenitors, we employ Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) combined with Next Generation mRNA Sequencing (TRAPseq). Methods: In mice, we used Fgf20-Cre to activate ROSA-fsTRAP in hair cell and supporting cell progenitors, and then collected translating mRNA using TRAP from Fgf20+/- (control) and Fgf20-/- cochleae. Library preparation and sequencing were done in two separate experiments, each with 12 samples that included 2 pre-TRAP (pre-immunoprecipitation) Fgf20+/- samples, 2 TRAP Fgf20+/- samples, 4 pre-TRAP Fgf20-/- samples, and 4 TRAP Fgf20-/- samples. Samples were sequenced via Illumina HiSeq 3000. We compared pre-TRAP (pre-immunoprecipitation) samples with TRAP mRNA samples to validate the TRAP technique as well as identify genes enriched in our target cell population. We also compared Fgf20+/- and Fgf20-/- TRAP mRNA samples to identify differentially expressed genes downstream of FGF20 during hair cell and supporting cell differentiation. Results: TRAPseq targeting the prosensory cell population effectively enriches for translating mRNA within this rare cell population. TRAPseq comparing Fgf20+/- and Fgf20-/- samples identified differentially expressed genes downstream of FGF20. These included FGF-response genes Etv4, Etv5, Etv1, and Dusp6, as well as genes associated with cochlea development and hearing, such as Hey1, Hey2, Heyl, Tectb, Fat3, Cpxm2, Sall1, and cell cycle regulators such as Cdc20.