Project description:Polyploidization and introgression are major events driving plant genome evolution and influencing crop breeding. However, the mechanisms underlying the higher-order chromatin organization of subgenomes and alien chromosomes are largely unknown. We probe the three-dimensional chromatin architecture of Aikang 58 (AK58), a widely-cultivated allohexaploid wheat variety carrying the 1RS/1BL translocation chromosome. The regions involved in inter-chromosomal interactions, both within and between subgenomes, have highly similar sequences. Subgenome-specific territories tend to be connected by subgenome-dominant homologous transposable elements (TEs). The alien 1RS chromosomal arm, which was introgressed from rye and differs from its wheat counterpart, has relatively few inter-chromosome interactions with wheat chromosomes. An analysis of local chromatin structures reveals topologically associating domain (TAD)-like regions covering 52% of the AK58 genome, the boundaries of which are enriched with active genes, zinc-finger factor-binding motifs, CHH methylation, and 24-nt small RNAs. The chromatin loops are mostly localized around TAD boundaries, and the number of gene loops is positively associated with gene activity. The present study reveals the impact of the genetic sequence context on the higher-order chromatin structure and subgenome stability in hexaploid wheat. Specifically, we characterized the sequence homology-mediated inter-chromosome interactions and the non-canonical role of subgenome-biased TEs. Our findings may have profound implications for future investigations of the interplay between genetic sequences and higher-order structures and their consequences on polyploid genome evolution and introgression-based breeding of crop plants.
Project description:Barley contains a much higher content of bioactive substances than wheat. In order to investigate the effect of genome interaction between barley and wheat on phytosterol content, we used a series of barley chromosome addition lines of common wheat. The wheat 38k-microarray was utilized for screening of genes with expression levels specifically increased by an additive effect or synergistic action between wheat and barley chromosomes. We determined the overall expression pattern of genes related to phytosterol biosynthesis in wheat and in each addition line. Together with determining the phytosterol levels of wheat, barley and each addition line, we assess the critical genes in the phytosterol pathway that can be expressed to promote phytosterol levels.
Project description:Polyploidization events are known to trigger extensive epigenetic and transcriptional alteration of the duplicated or merged genomes, accompanied by small- and large-scale conformational changes. The genome of modern hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; 2n = 6x = 42) is the product of two rounds of interspecific hybridization between three closely related diploid species, resulting in the presence of distinct but highly syntenic sub-genomes (AA, BB and DD). We examined the large-scale chromatin architecture of the nucleus of wheat using Hi-C, a genome-wide chromatin conformation capture (3C) method and GISH, (genomic in situ hybridization). We found evidence that physical interactions occur with significantly higher frequency within sub genomes (A with A, B with B or D with D) than between sub genomes (A with B or D, etc. ...), defining sub-nuclear “genomic territories”. In addition, we observed a polarized distribution of facultative and constitutive heterochromatin that suggests a functional compartmentalization within the nucleus. On a local scale, we found that genes tend to interact mainly with other genes over long-distance “loops” that are especially established between genes presenting similar expression levels and bearing the same histone marks. Moreover, gene pairs in spatial proximity show similar changes in expression levels between shoots and roots. Consistently, we found that physical contact between genes is mediated by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Immunofluorescence assays with anti RNAP2 antibodies revealed the presence of “transcription factories” in which multiple interacting genes are co-transcribed. This indicates that local-scale topology is an important factor for transcriptional regulation as it determines the micro-compartimentalization of active genes within the nucleus.Our results provide a framework for understanding the physical organization of wheat genome and highlight the interplay between chromosome conformation and gene expression in wheat.
Project description:Many crop species have complex genomes, making the conventional pathway to associating molecular markers with trait variation, which includes genome sequencing, both expensive and time-consuming. We used a streamlined approach to rapidly develop a genomics platform for hexaploid wheat based on the inferred order of expressed sequences. This involved assembly of the transcriptomes for the progenitor genomes of bread wheat, the development of a genetic linkage map comprising 9495 mapped transcriptome-based SNP markers, use of this map to rearrange the genome sequence of Brachypodium distachyon into pseudomolecules representative of the genome organization of wheat and sequence similarity-based mapping onto this resource of the transcriptome assemblies. To demonstrate that this approximation of gene order in wheat is appropriate to underpin association genetics analysis, we undertook Associative Transcriptomics for straw biomass traits, identifying associations and even candidate genes for height, weight and width.
Project description:Barley contains a much higher content of bioactive substances than wheat. In order to investigate the effect of genome interaction between barley and wheat on phytosterol content, we used a series of barley chromosome addition lines of common wheat. The wheat 38k-microarray was utilized for screening of genes with expression levels specifically increased by an additive effect or synergistic action between wheat and barley chromosomes. We determined the overall expression pattern of genes related to phytosterol biosynthesis in wheat and in each addition line. Together with determining the phytosterol levels of wheat, barley and each addition line, we assess the critical genes in the phytosterol pathway that can be expressed to promote phytosterol levels. Gene expression levels of each barley chromosome addition line of common wheat were compared to that of common wheat. Total RNA samples were isolated from the 2-week-old seedling leaves. The experiments were replicated three times for each addition line using independent samples.
Project description:Our understanding of the mechanisms that govern the cellular process of meiosis is limited in higher plants with polyploid genomes. Bread wheat is an allohexaploid that behaves as a diploid during meiosis. Chromosome pairing is restricted to homologous chromosomes despite the presence of homoeologues in the nucleus. The importance of wheat as a crop and the extensive use of wild wheat relatives in breeding programs has prompted many years of cytogenetic and genetic research to develop an understanding of the control of chromosome pairing and recombination. The rapid advance of biochemical and molecular information on meiosis in model organisms such as yeast provides new opportunities to investigate the molecular basis of chromosome pairing control in wheat. However, building the link between the model and wheat requires points of data contact. We report here a large-scale transcriptomics study using the Affymetrix wheat GeneChip® aimed at providing this link between wheat and model systems and at identifying early meiotic genes. Analysis of the microarray data identified 1,350 transcripts temporally-regulated during the early stages of meiosis. Expression profiles with annotated transcript functions including chromatin condensation, synaptonemal complex formation,recombination and fertility were identified. From the 1,350 transcripts, 30 displayed at least an eight-fold expression change between and including pre-meiosis and telophase II, with more than 50% of these having no similarities to known sequences in NCBI and TIGR databases. This resource is now available to support research into the molecular basis of pairing and recombination control in the complex polyploid, wheat. Keywords: Time course
Project description:Polyploidization events are known to trigger extensive epigenetic and transcriptional alteration of the duplicated or merged genomes, accompanied by small- and large-scale conformational changes. The genome of modern hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; 2n = 6x = 42) is the product of two rounds of interspecific hybridization between three closely related diploid species, resulting in the presence of distinct but highly syntenic sub-genomes (AA, BB and DD). We examined the large-scale chromatin architecture of the nucleus of wheat using Hi-C, a genome-wide chromatin conformation capture (3C) method and GISH, (genomic in situ hybridization). We found evidence that physical interactions occur with significantly higher frequency within sub genomes (A with A, B with B or D with D) than between sub genomes (A with B or D, etc. ...), defining sub-nuclear “genomic territories”. In addition, we observed a polarized distribution of facultative and constitutive heterochromatin that suggests a functional compartmentalization within the nucleus. On a local scale, we found that genes tend to interact mainly with other genes over long-distance “loops” that are especially established between genes presenting similar expression levels and bearing the same histone marks. Moreover, gene pairs in spatial proximity show similar changes in expression levels between shoots and roots. Consistently, we found that physical contact between genes is mediated by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Immunofluorescence assays with anti RNAP2 antibodies revealed the presence of “transcription factories” in which multiple interacting genes are co-transcribed. This indicates that local-scale topology is an important factor for transcriptional regulation as it determines the micro-compartimentalization of active genes within the nucleus.Our results provide a framework for understanding the physical organization of wheat genome and highlight the interplay between chromosome conformation and gene expression in wheat.
Project description:Polyploidization events are known to trigger extensive epigenetic and transcriptional alteration of the duplicated or merged genomes, accompanied by small- and large-scale conformational changes. The genome of modern hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; 2n = 6x = 42) is the product of two rounds of interspecific hybridization between three closely related diploid species, resulting in the presence of distinct but highly syntenic sub-genomes (AA, BB and DD). We examined the large-scale chromatin architecture of the nucleus of wheat using Hi-C, a genome-wide chromatin conformation capture (3C) method and GISH, (genomic in situ hybridization). We found evidence that physical interactions occur with significantly higher frequency within sub genomes (A with A, B with B or D with D) than between sub genomes (A with B or D, etc. ...), defining sub-nuclear “genomic territories”. In addition, we observed a polarized distribution of facultative and constitutive heterochromatin that suggests a functional compartmentalization within the nucleus. On a local scale, we found that genes tend to interact mainly with other genes over long-distance “loops” that are especially established between genes presenting similar expression levels and bearing the same histone marks. Moreover, gene pairs in spatial proximity show similar changes in expression levels between shoots and roots. Consistently, we found that physical contact between genes is mediated by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Immunofluorescence assays with anti RNAP2 antibodies revealed the presence of “transcription factories” in which multiple interacting genes are co-transcribed. This indicates that local-scale topology is an important factor for transcriptional regulation as it determines the micro-compartimentalization of active genes within the nucleus.Our results provide a framework for understanding the physical organization of wheat genome and highlight the interplay between chromosome conformation and gene expression in wheat.
Project description:Polyploidization events are known to trigger extensive epigenetic and transcriptional alteration of the duplicated or merged genomes, accompanied by small- and large-scale conformational changes. The genome of modern hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.; 2n = 6x = 42) is the product of two rounds of interspecific hybridization between three closely related diploid species, resulting in the presence of distinct but highly syntenic sub-genomes (AA, BB and DD). We examined the large-scale chromatin architecture of the nucleus of wheat using Hi-C, a genome-wide chromatin conformation capture (3C) method and GISH, (genomic in situ hybridization). We found evidence that physical interactions occur with significantly higher frequency within sub genomes (A with A, B with B or D with D) than between sub genomes (A with B or D, etc. ...), defining sub-nuclear “genomic territories”. In addition, we observed a polarized distribution of facultative and constitutive heterochromatin that suggests a functional compartmentalization within the nucleus. On a local scale, we found that genes tend to interact mainly with other genes over long-distance “loops” that are especially established between genes presenting similar expression levels and bearing the same histone marks. Moreover, gene pairs in spatial proximity show similar changes in expression levels between shoots and roots. Consistently, we found that physical contact between genes is mediated by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Immunofluorescence assays with anti RNAP2 antibodies revealed the presence of “transcription factories” in which multiple interacting genes are co-transcribed. This indicates that local-scale topology is an important factor for transcriptional regulation as it determines the micro-compartimentalization of active genes within the nucleus.Our results provide a framework for understanding the physical organization of wheat genome and highlight the interplay between chromosome conformation and gene expression in wheat.