Project description:We studied protein profile in the first three days upon pitcher opening to understand carnivory trait of Nepenthes x ventrata. The proteome analysis of pitcher fluid from N. × ventrata was performed by mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MSALL).
Project description:We studied protein profile in the first three days upon pitcher opening to understand carnivory trait of Nepenthes ampullaria. The proteome analysis of pitcher fluid was performed by mass spectrometry analysis using Thermo Easy-nLC Orbitrap Fusion Tribid MS. Analysis was performed in pools of 6 pitchers for each species and analysed in 3 technical replicates each.
Project description:Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants that evolved a pitfall trap, the pitcher, to catch and digest insect prey to obtain additional nutrients. Each pitcher is part of the whole leaf, together with a leaf blade. These two completely different parts of the same organ were studied separately in a non-targeted metabolomics approach in Nepenthes x ventrata, a robust natural hybrid. The first aim was the analysis and profiling of small (50-1000 m/z) polar and non-polar molecules to find a characteristic metabolite pattern for the particular tissues. Second, the impact of insect feeding on the metabolome of the pitcher and leaf blade was studied. Using UPLC-ESI-qTOF and cheminformatics, about 2000 features (MS/MS events) were detected in the two tissues. They showed a huge chemical diversity, harboring classes of chemical substances that significantly discriminate these tissues. Among the common constituents of N. x ventrata are phenolics, flavonoids and naphthoquinones, namely plumbagin, a characteristic compound for carnivorous Nepenthales, and many yet-unknown compounds. Upon insect feeding, only in pitchers in the polar compounds fraction, small but significant differences could be detected. By further integrating information with cheminformatics approaches, we provide and discuss evidence that the metabolite composition of the tissues can point to their function.
Project description:Pitcher fluids from 3 species of Nepenthes, namely N. ampullaria, N. rafflesiana and their hybrid H. x hookeriana were collected within 24h of opening, filtered, concentrated, processed and trypsin-digested for mass spectrometry analysis using Thermo Easy-nLC Orbitrap Fusion Tribid MS. Analysis was performed in 2 biological replicates of pools of 9 pitchers for each species and analysed in 3 technical replicates each.
Project description:How epigenetic deregulation affects gene expression patterns in subclones of the same tumor is poorly known. Peritoneal Carcinomatosis (PC) is a condition in which multiple metastases of the same abdominal tumor develop in the peritoneal cavity and intra-peritoneal organs, thus defining different ecosystems of the same cancer. PITCHER addresses the variations in epigenetically regulated gene expression between different subclones of PC in relation with cell mechanoresponses, providing insights on how cancer epigenetic landscapes evolve under environmental pressures and on strategies used by cancer cells to adapt to the transition from one ecosystem to the other.
PITCHER is a network of 10 teams from Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille, based on data and specimen collection of patients who have undergone a surgery for a peritoneal carcinomatosis of ovarian or colorectal origin. PC lesions and eventually matched specimens of primary tumors will be collected in the same patients at the time of the surgery or eventually retrieved from already existing samples. Epigenetic landscapes will be analyzed by a bioinformatics pipeline combining exome sequencing, transcriptome and methylome to identify "epigenetic hotspots", and their variations across lesions will be evaluated. These analyses will be realized in fresh (when available) or pre-existing samples. When possible, organoid cultures and animal models will be derived from multicellular structures in peritoneal fluids and membrane, cytoskeletal and nucleoskeletal mechanoresponses will be characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy. The role of tumor axonogenesis, a process of neo-formation of axon fibers in tumors, will be addressed. Experimental studies of cell responses to therapy will be performed to derive mathematical predictive models. All components will be integrated in a systems biology map of PC.
Project description:Decomposition of lignin-rich wood by fungi drives nutrient recycling in woodland ecosystems. Fluctuating abiotic conditions are known to promote the functioning of ecological communities and ecosystems. In the context of wood decay, fluctuating temperature increases decomposition rates. Metabolomics, in tandem with other ‘omics tools, can highlight the metabolic processes affected by experimental treatments, even in the absence of genome sequences and annotations. Globally, natural wood decay communities are dominated by the phylum Basidiomycota. We examined the metabolic responses of Mucidula mucida, a dominant constituent of pioneer communities in beech branches in British woodlands, and Exidia glandulosa, a stress-selected constituent of the same communities, in response to constant and diurnally cycling temperature. We applied untargeted metabolomics and proteomics to beech wood blocks, colonised by M. mucida or E. glandulosa and exposed to either diurnally cycling (mean 15 ± 10°C) or constant (15°C) temperature, in a fully factorial design. Metabolites and proteins linked to lignin breakdown, the citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and protein biosynthesis and turnover were under-enriched in fluctuating, compared to stable temperatures, in the generalist M. mucida. Conversely E. glandulosa showed little differential response to the experimental treatments. By demonstrating temperature dependant metabolic signatures related to nutrient acquisition in a generalist wood decay fungus, we provide new insights into how abiotic conditions can affect community-mediated decomposition and carbon turnover in forests. We show that mechanisms underpinning important biogeochemical processes can be highlighted using untargeted metabolomics and proteomics in the absence of well-annotated genomes.
Project description:1. Decomposition of lignin-rich wood by fungi drives nutrient recycling in woodland ecosystems. Fluctuating abiotic conditions are known to promote the functioning of ecological communities and ecosystems. In the context of wood decay, fluctuating temperature increases decomposition rates. Metabolomics, in tandem with other ‘omics tools, can highlight the metabolic processes affected by experimental treatments, even in the absence of genome sequences and annotations. Globally, natural wood decay communities are dominated by the phylum Basidiomycota. We examined the metabolic responses of Mucidula mucida, a dominant constituent of pioneer communities in beech branches in British woodlands, and Exidia glandulosa, a stress-selected constituent of the same communities, in response to constant and diurnally cycling temperature. 2. We applied untargeted metabolomics and proteomics to beech wood blocks, colonised by M. mucida or E. glandulosa and exposed to either diurnally cycling (mean 15 ± 10°C) or constant (15°C) temperature, in a fully factorial design. 3. Metabolites and proteins linked to lignin breakdown, the citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, carbohydrate metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and protein biosynthesis and turnover were under-enriched in fluctuating, compared to stable temperatures, in the generalist M. mucida. Conversely E. glandulosa showed little differential response to the experimental treatments. 4. Synthesis. By demonstrating temperature dependant metabolic signatures related to nutrient acquisition in a generalist wood decay fungus, we provide new insights into how abiotic conditions can affect community-mediated decomposition and carbon turnover in forests. We show that mechanisms underpinning important biogeochemical processes can be highlighted using untargeted metabolomics and proteomics in the absence of well-annotated genomes.