Project description:Purpose: Zinc deficiency (ZnD) and iron deficiency (FeD), excess Zn (ZnE) and cadmium exposure (CdE) are major environmental problems for crop cultivation. Methods: Applying Tag-Seq technology to leaves of Brassica rapa grown under FeD, ZnD, ZnE or CdE conditions, with normal conditions as a control, we examined global gene expression changes and compared the expression patterns of multiple paralogs. Results: We identified 812, 543, 331 and 447 differentially expressed genes under FeD, ZnD, ZnE and CdE conditions, respectively, in B. rapa leaves.Further analysis revealed that genes associated with Zn, Fe and Cd responses tended to be over-retained in the B. rapa genome. Most of these multiple-copy genes showed the same direction of expression change under stress conditions. Conclusion: We conclude that the duplicated genes involved in trace element responses in B. rapa are functionally redundant, making the regulatory network more complex in B. rapa than in Arabidopsis thaliana. In total, there were 15 Digital gene expression libraries, one for each of the three replicates under the four trace metal element treatments and normal nutrient supply conditions as a control.
Project description:The freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera is one of the most threatened freshwater bivalves worldwide. In this study, we aimed (i) to study the processes by which water quality might affect freshwater mussels in situ and (ii) to provide insights into the ecotoxicological significance of water pollution to natural populations in order to provide necessary information to enhance conservation strategies. M. margaritifera specimens were sampled in two close sites located upstream or downstream from an illegal dumping site. The renal transcriptome of these animals was assembled and gene transcription determined by RNA-seq. Correlations between transcription levels of each single transcript and the bioaccumulation of 9 trace metals, age (estimated by sclerochronology) and condition index were determined in order to identify genes likely to respond to a specific factor. Amongst the studied metals, Cr, Zn, Cd and Ni were the main factors correlated with transcription levels, with effects on translation, apoptosis, immune response, response to stimulus and transport pathways. However, the main factor explaining changes in gene transcription appeared to be the age of individuals with a negative correlation with the transcription of retrotransposons-related genes. To investigate this effect further, mussels were classified into 3 age classes. In young, middle-aged and old animals, transcription levels were mainly explained by Cu, Zn and age, respectively. This suggests differences in the molecular responses of this species to metals during its lifetime that must be better assessed in future ecotoxicology studies.
Project description:Purpose: Zinc deficiency (ZnD) and iron deficiency (FeD), excess Zn (ZnE) and cadmium exposure (CdE) are major environmental problems for crop cultivation. Methods: Applying Tag-Seq technology to leaves of Brassica rapa grown under FeD, ZnD, ZnE or CdE conditions, with normal conditions as a control, we examined global gene expression changes and compared the expression patterns of multiple paralogs. Results: We identified 812, 543, 331 and 447 differentially expressed genes under FeD, ZnD, ZnE and CdE conditions, respectively, in B. rapa leaves.Further analysis revealed that genes associated with Zn, Fe and Cd responses tended to be over-retained in the B. rapa genome. Most of these multiple-copy genes showed the same direction of expression change under stress conditions. Conclusion: We conclude that the duplicated genes involved in trace element responses in B. rapa are functionally redundant, making the regulatory network more complex in B. rapa than in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Project description:Given that transition metals are essential cofactors in central biological processes, misallocation of the wrong metal ion to a metalloprotein can have resounding and often detrimental effects on diverse aspects of cellular physiology. Therefore, in an attempt to characterize unique and shared responses to chemically similar metals we have reconstructed physiological behaviors of Halobacterium NRC-1, an archaeal halophile, in sub-lethal levels of Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II). Over 20% of all genes responded transiently within minutes of exposure to Fe(II), perhaps reflecting immediate large scale physiological adjustments to maintain homeostasis. At steady state, each transition metal induced growth arrest, attempts to minimize oxidative stress, toxic ion scavenging, increased protein turnover and DNA repair, and modulation of active ion transport. While several of these constitute generalized stress responses, up regulation of active efflux of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II), down regulation of Mn(II) uptake and up regulation of Fe(II) chelation, confer resistance to the respective metals. We have synthesized all these discoveries into a unified systems level model to provide an integrated perspective of responses to six transition metals with emphasis on experimentally verified regulatory mechanisms. Finally, through comparisons across global transcriptional responses to different metals we provide insights into putative in vivo metal selectivity of metalloregulatory proteins and demonstrate that a systems approach can help rapidly unravel novel metabolic potential and regulatory programs of poorly studied organisms. Keywords: stress response, dose response
Project description:Because of the rise in atmospheric oxygen 2.3 billion years ago (Gya) and the subsequent changes in oceanic redox state over the last 2.3-1 Gya, trace metal bioavailability in marine environments has changed dramatically. Although theorized to have influenced the biological usage of metals leaving discernable genomic signals, a thorough and quantitative test of this hypothesis has been lacking. Using structural bioinformatics and whole-genome sequences, the Fe-, Zn-, Mn-, and Co-binding metallomes of 23 Archaea, 233 Bacteria, and 57 Eukarya were constructed. These metallomes reveal that the overall abundances of these metal-binding structures scale to proteome size as power laws with a unique set of slopes for each Superkingdom of Life. The differences in the power describing the abundances of Fe-, Mn-, Zn-, and Co-binding proteins in the proteomes of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes are similar to the theorized changes in the abundances of these metals after the oxygenation of oceanic deep waters. This phenomenon suggests that Prokarya and Eukarya evolved in anoxic and oxic environments, respectively, a hypothesis further supported by structures and functions of Fe-binding proteins in each Superkingdom. Also observed is a proliferation in the diversity of Zn-binding protein structures involved in protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions within Eukarya, an event unlikely to occur in either an anoxic or euxinic environment where Zn concentrations would be vanishingly low. We hypothesize that these conserved trends are proteomic imprints of changes in trace metal bioavailability in the ancient ocean that highlight a major evolutionary shift in biological trace metal usage.
Project description:Heavy metals are essential integral parts of cells and environmental toxicants, whose deregulation is associated with severe cellular dysfunction and various diseases. The Hippo pathway plays a critical role in organ size control and cancer development. In this study, we use RNA-Seq to investigate the role of the Hippo pathway in regulating heavy metal response gene transcription. Specifically, the difference of transcriptional profiles between the wild-type and the Hippo pathway kinases LATS1/2-deficient HEK293A cells was examined under control- and heavy metals zinc and cadimuim treated-conditions.