Project description:Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) has evolved some adaptations for growth in low P soils. To elucidate these mechanisms, we investigated global gene expression profiles of the masson pine responding to long-term phosphorus starvation and different Pi levels (P1, 0.01 mM P; P2, 0.06 mM P).
Project description:Background: Common bacterial blight (CBB) caused by Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. phaseoli and Xanthomonas citri pv. fuscans is one of the major threats to common bean crops (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Resistance to CBB is particularly complex as 26 quantitative resistance loci to CBB have been described so far. To date, transcriptomic studies after CBB infection have been very scarce and the molecular mechanisms underlying susceptibility or resistance are largely unknown. Results: We sequenced and annotated the genomes of two common bean genotypes being either resistant (BAT93) or susceptible (JaloEEP558) to CBB. Reciprocal BLASTp analysis led to a list of 20,787 homologs between these genotypes and the common bean reference genome (G19833), which provides a solid dataset for further comparative analyses. RNA-Seq after inoculation with X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli showed that the susceptible genotype initiated a more intense and diverse biological response than the resistant genotype. Resistance was linked to upregulation of the salicylic acid pathway and downregulation of photosynthesis and sugar metabolism, while susceptibility was linked to downregulation of resistance genes and upregulation of the ethylene pathway and of genes involved in cell wall modification. Conclusions: This study helps better understanding the mechanisms occurring during the early colonization phase of common bean by Xanthomonas and unveils new actors potentially important for resistance and susceptibility to CBB. We discuss the potential link between the pathways induced during bean colonization and genes induced by transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs), as illustrated in other Xanthomonas pathovars.
Project description:Rhizobia are soil bacteria that induce nodule formation on leguminous plants. In the nodules, they reduce dinitrogen to ammonium that can be utilized by plants. Besides nitrogen fixation, rhizobia have other symbiotic functions in plants including phosphorus and iron mobilization and protection of the plants against various abiotic stresses including salinity. Worldwide, about 20% of cultivable and 33% of irrigation land is saline, and it is estimated that around 50% of the arable land will be saline by 2050. Salinity inhibits plant growth and development, results in senescence, and ultimately plant death. The purpose of this study was to investigate how rhizobia, isolated from Kenyan soils, relieve common beans from salinity stress. The yield loss of common bean plants, which were either not inoculated or inoculated with the commercial R. tropici rhizobia CIAT899 was reduced by 73% when the plants were exposed to 300 mM NaCl, while only 60% yield loss was observed after inoculation with a novel indigenous isolate from Kenyan soil, named S3. Expression profiles showed that genes involved in the transport of mineral ions (such as K+, Ca2+, Fe3+, PO43-, and NO3-) to the host plant, and for the synthesis and transport of osmotolerance molecules (soluble carbohydrates, amino acids, and nucleotides) are highly expressed in S3 bacteroids during salt stress than in the controls. Furthermore, genes for the synthesis and transport of glutathione and γ-aminobutyric acid were upregulated in salt-stressed and S3-inocculated common bean plants. We conclude that microbial osmolytes, mineral ions, and antioxidant molecules from rhizobia enhance salt tolerance in common beans.
Project description:Our goal was to investigate the transcriptional response of T. urticae to different Arabidopsis plants with varying levels of indole glucosinolates. Bean is the ancestral host plant for the T. urticae strain used in this study. Adult female spider mites were transferred to the three Arabidopsis lines (Col-0, qKo, atr1D) or bean, and after 24 hours, the gene expression levels were analyzed. 12 samples were investigated; 4 biological replicates for three comparisons: QKO (qKo vs. Col-0), ATR1D (atr1D vs. Col-0), and COL-0 (Col-0 vs. bean).
Project description:Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) has evolved some adaptations for growth in low P soils. To elucidate these mechanisms, we investigated global gene expression profiles of the masson pine responding to long-term phosphorus starvation and different Pi levels (P1, 0.01 mM P; P2, 0.06 mM P). Analysis used phosphorus-sufficient treatment RNA as control samples for comparison to the experimental samples (P1 and P2) taken at 12, 24, 48 and 60 day. Indirect comparisons were made across multiple arrays with raw data pulled from different channels for data analysis and comparison to the control data.
Project description:Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seeds are a rich source of dietary zinc, especially for people consuming plant-based diets. Within P. vulgaris there is at least two-fold variation in seed Zn concentration. Genetic studies have revealed seed Zn differences to be controlled by a single gene in two closely related navy bean genotypes, Albion and Voyager. In this study, these two genotypes were grown under controlled fertilization conditions and the Zn concentration of various plant parts were determined. The two genotypes had similar levels of Zn in their leaves and pods but Voyager had 52% more Zn in its seeds than Albion. RNA was sequence from developing pods of both genotypes. Transcriptome analysis of these genotypes identified 27,198 genes in the developing bean pods, representing 86% of the genes in the P. vulgaris genome (v 1.0 DOE-JGI and USDA-NIFA). Expression was detected in 18,438 genes. A relatively small number of genes (381) were differentially expressed between Albion and Voyager. Differentially expressed genes included three genes potentially involved in Zn transport, including zinc-regulated transporter, iron regulated transporter like (ZIP), zinc-induced facilitator (ZIF) and heavy metal associated (HMA) family genes. In addition 12,118 SNPs were identified between the two genotypes. Of the gene families related to Zn and/or Fe transport, eleven genes were found to contain SNPs between Albion and Voyager.
Project description:Background: Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress factor that limit agricultural productivity worldwide, and this problem is expected to grow in the future. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important protein source in developing countries is highly susceptible to salt stress. To understand the underlying mechanism of salt stress responses, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and ion content analysis were utilized for response comparison of salt-tolerant and salt-susceptible common bean genotypes in saline conditions. Results: Transcriptome analysis has revealed that the tolerant genotype had increased photosynthesis in saline conditions while the susceptible genotype acted in a contrasting way. The chlorophyll content measurements have backed up this result with increase in tolerant and decrease in susceptible genotype. Transcriptome also displayed a more active carbon and amino acid metabolism for the tolerant genotype as well. Analysis of primary metabolites with GC-MS demonstrated the boosted carbohydrate metabolism in the tolerant genotype with increased sugar content as well as better amino-acid metabolism with the accumulation of glutamate and asparagine and hinted a lowered photorespiration level for the tolerant one. Accumulation of lysine, valine, and isoleucine in the roots of the susceptible genotype suggested a halted stress response pathway. According to ion content comparison, the tolerant genotype managed to block accumulation of Na+ in the leaves while accumulating significantly less Na+ in the roots compared to susceptible genotype. K+ levels increased in the leaves of both genotype and the roots of the susceptible one but dropped in the roots of the tolerant genotype. Additionally, Zn+2 and Mn+2 levels were also dropped in the tolerant roots, while Mo+2 levels were significantly higher in all tissues in both control and saline conditions for tolerant genotype. Conclusion:The results of the presented study have demonstrated the differences in contrasting genotypes and thus provide valuable information on the pivotal molecular mechanisms underlying salt tolerance mainly in common bean, but for all crops.
Project description:It has long been recognized that species occupy a specific ecological niche within their ecosystem. The ecological niche is defined as the number of conditions and resources that limit species distribution. Within their ecological niche, species do not exist in a single physiological state but in a number of states we call the Natural Operating Range. In this paper we link ecological niche theory to physiological ecology by measuring gene expression levels of collembolans exposed to various natural conditions. The soil-dwelling collembolan Folsomia candida was exposed to 26 natural soils with different soil characteristics (soil type, land use, practice, etc). The animals were exposed for two days and gene expression levels were measured. The main factor found to regulate gene expression was the soil type (sand or clay), in which 18.5% of the measured genes were differentially expressed. Gene Ontology analysis showed animals exposed to sandy soils experience general stress, affecting cell homeostasis and replication. Multivariate analysis linking soil chemical data to gene expression data revealed that soil fertility influences gene expression. Land-use and practice had less influence on gene expression; only forest soils showed a different expression pattern. A variation in gene expression variation analysis showed overall low variance in gene expression. The large difference in response to soil type was caused by the soil physicochemical properties where F. candida experiences clay soils and sandy soils as very different from each other. This collembolan prefers fertile soils with high organic matter content, as soil fertility was found to correlate with gene expression and animals exposed to sandy soils (which, in general, have lower organic matter content) experience more general stress. Finally, we conclude that there is no such thing as a fixed physiological state for animals in their ecological niche and the boundary between the ecological niche and a stressed state depends on the genes/pathways investigated.