Project description:We hypothesized that the genome segments of cultivated barley should show certain similarity with its ancestral wild barley. Instead of whole genome sequences, we employed RNA-Seq to investigated the genomic origin of modern cultivated barley using some representative wild barley genotypes from the Near East and Tibet, and representative world-wide selections of cultivated barley.
Project description:Senescence is the last developmental phase of plant tissues, plant organs and, in the case of monocarpic senescence, entire plants. In monocarpic crops such as barley, it leads to massive remobilization of nitrogen (primarily from degradation of photosynthetic proteins) and other nutrients to developing seeds. Senescence has therefore a major impact on both yield and seed/grain quality. To further investigate this process, a proteomic comparison of flag leaves of late-senescing barley variety ‘Karl’ and a near-isogenic early-senescing line, ‘10_11’, was performed at 14 and 21 days past anthesis, using both two-dimensional gel-based and label-free quantitative mass spectrometry-based (‘shotgun’) proteomic techniques. Overall, this approach identified >9,000 barley proteins, and one-third of them were quantified. Analysis focused on proteins that were significantly (P-value ≤0.05; difference ≥1.5-fold) upregulated in early-senescing line ‘10_11’ as compared to ‘Karl’, as these may be functionally important for the senescence process. Many proteins in this group, including several membrane and intracellular receptors, glucanases, enzymes with possible roles in cuticle modification, classical pathogenesis-related proteins, membrane transporters and proteins involved in DNA repair, have likely or putative functions in plant pathogen defense. Additionally, several proteases and elements of the ubiquitin-proteasome system were upregulated in line ‘10_11’; these proteins may be involved in nitrogen remobilization, and in the regulation of both senescence and plant defense reactions. Together, our data shed new light, at the protein level, on the importance of plant defense reactions during senescence, on senescence regulation, and possibly on crosstalk between senescence regulation and plant-pathogen interaction.
Project description:NILs containing five parental lines, three wild barley genotypes ssp. spontaneum: HID 4 (A), Iraq; HID 64 (B), Turkey; and HID 369 (C), Israel, one ssp. agriocrithon: HID 382(D)) and cv. Morex (ssp. vulgare, USA). Purpose: Variant calling to identifie markers associated with a awn length QTL on the distal part of chromosome 7HL
Project description:Gene expression in plastids of higher plants is dependent on two different transcription machineries, a plastid-encoded bacterial-type RNA polymerase (PEP) and a nuclear-encoded phage-type RNA polymerase (NEP), which recognize distinct types of promoters. The division of labor between PEP and NEP during plastid development and in mature chloroplasts is unclear due to a lack of comprehensive information on promoter usage. Here we present a thorough investigation into the distribution of PEP and NEP promoters within the plastid genome of barley (Hordeum vulgare L). Using a novel differential RNA sequencing approach, which discriminates between primary and processed transcripts, we obtained a genome-wide map of transcription start sites in plastids of mature first leaves. PEP-lacking plastids of the albostrians mutant allowed for the unambiguous identifications of NEP promoters. We observed that the chloroplast genome contains many more promoters than genes. According to our data, most genes (including genes coding for photosynthesis proteins) have both PEP and NEP promoters. We also detected numerous transcription start sites within operons indicating transcriptional uncoupling of genes in polycistronic gene clusters. Moreover, we mapped many transcription start sites in intergenic regions, as well as opposite to annotated genes demonstrating the existence of numerous non-coding RNA candidates.
Project description:Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei is an obligate biotrohic fungal pathogen causing powdery mildew in barley. As for other biotrophic fungi, haustorial structures are at the centre of the biotrophic interaction and molecular exchanges, delivering fungal effectors or virulence factors, and taking nutrient from the host. Haustoria are originiated by the fungus, following successful penetration of the initial penetration peg through the plant cell call. Haustorial structures mainly of fungal origin, but they are surrounding by a plant component, the extrauhaustorial membrane and matrix (EHM and EHMx) forming the extrahuastorial complex (EHMc). The plant protein make-up of the plant extrahaustorial components remained unexplored, and this is a first study trying to describe plant proteome associated with haustoria using samples enriched for these structures. Therefore, proteomes of haustoria enriched samples from the epidermis of barley leaves infected with Blumeria graminins f.sp. hordei, the causing agent of barley powdery mildew, were compared to infected epidermis and un-infected epidermis to identify haustoria associated plant proteins. Haustoria were enriched from infected epidermis by digesting epidermal cell walls with cell wall degrading enzymes prior to enrichment for haustorial structures. Proteins identified in these samples were compared to infected and uninfected epidermis samples using a non-targeted label free semi-quantitation method.
Project description:A DNA microarray analysis detected large-scale changes of gene expression in response to Cd stress with a substantial difference between the two barley genotypes differing in Cd tolerance and accumulation. Cd stress led to higher expression of genes involved in transport, carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction in the low-grain-Cd-accumulating genotype. Novel transporter genes such as zinc transporter genes were identified as being associated with low Cd accumulation. We used microarrays to understand the mechanism of low Cd accumulation in crops which is crucial for sustainable safe food production in Cd-contaminated soils.
Project description:In the present study, we investigated the transcriptome features during hulless barley grain development. Using Illumina paired-end RNA-Sequencing, we generated two data sets of the developing grain transcriptomes from two hulless barley landraces.