Project description:Drought stress, especially during the seedling stage, seriously limits the growth and development of maize. Understanding the response of maize to drought is the first step in the breeding of tolerant genotypes. Recent advances in deep-sequencing and proteomic techniques, such as isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ), can provide large-scale comparisons and reliable quantitative measurements. Despite previous studies on drought resistance mechanisms by which maize cope with water deficient, the link between physiological and molecular variations are largely unknown. Therefore, understanding the drought tolerance mechanisms of different maize varieties is essential for genetic manipulation and/or cross breeding in maize. Towards this goal, we used a comparative physiological and proteomics analysis approach to monitor the changes of two different drought-resistant maize varieties.
Project description:An Infinium microarray platform (GPL28271, HorvathMammalMethylChip40) was used to generate DNA methylation data from blood samples from yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). DNA methylation data from n=159 blood samples. All samples were collected as part of a long-term study of a free-living population of yellow-bellied marmots in the Gunnison National Forest, Colorado (USA), where marmots were captured and blood samples collected biweekly during the their active season (May to August). Genomic DNA was extracted with Qiagen DNeasy blood and tissue kit.
Project description:In this work, we performed high throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) to investigate the response mediated by miRNAs in these plants under control conditions, submergence, drought and alternated drought-submergence or submergence-drought stress. After Illumina sequencing of 8 small RNA libraries, we obtained from 16,139,354 to 46,522,229 raw reads across the libraries. Bioinformatic analysis identified 88 maize miRNAs and 76 miRNAs from other plants differentially expressed in maize and/or in teosinte in response to at least one of the treatments, and revealed that a larger set of miRNAs were regulated in maize than in teosinte in response to submergence and drought stress.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of Yellow stripe 1 (ys1) and ys3 mutants. ys1 and ys3 are recessive mutants of maize (Zea mays L.) that result in symptoms typical of Fe deficiency, i.e., interveinal chlorosis of the leaves. The objective of the present work was to identify the genes involved in the ys1 and ys3 phenotypes, so as to extend our understanding of Fe homeostasis in maize.
Project description:qPCR gene expression profiling of Yellow stripe 1 (ys1) and ys3 mutants. ys1 and ys3 are recessive mutants of maize (Zea mays L.) that result in symptoms typical of Fe deficiency, i.e., interveinal chlorosis of the leaves. The objective of the present work was to identify the genes involved in the ys1 and ys3 phenotypes, so as to extend our understanding of Fe homeostasis in maize.
Project description:Drought is a major abiotic stress that threatens global food security. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous RNAs. How these molecules influence plant stress responses remains elusive. Here, a large scale circRNA profiling identified 2174 and 1354 high-confidence circRNAs in maize and Arabidopsis, respectively, and most were differentially expressed in response to drought. A substantial number of drought-associated circRNA hosting genes were involved in conserved or species-specific pathways in drought responses. Comparative analysis revealed that circRNA biogenesis was more complex in maize than in Arabidopsis. In most cases, maize circRNAs were negatively correlated with sRNA accumulation. In 368 maize inbred lines, the circRNA-hosting genes were enriched for SNPs associated with circRNA expression and drought tolerance, implying either important roles of circRNAs in maize drought responses or their potential use as biomarkers for breeding drought-tolerant maize. Additionally, the expression levels of circRNAs derived from drought-responsible genes encoding calcium-dependent protein kinase and cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase were significantly associated with drought tolerance of maize seedlings. Specifically, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing circGORK (Guard cell outward-rectifying K+-channel) were hypersensitive to ABA, but insensitive to drought, suggesting a positive role of circGORK in drought tolerance. We report the transcriptomic profiling and transgenic studies of circRNAs in plant drought responses, and provide evidences highlighting the universal molecular mechanisms involved in plant drought tolerance.
