Project description:A prominent enzyme in organellar RNA metabolism is the exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase), whose reversible activity is governed by the nucleotides diphosphate-inorganic phosphate ratio. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, PNPase regulates chloroplast transcript accumulation in response to phosphorus (P) starvation, and PNPase expression is repressed by the response regulator PSR1 under these conditions. Here, we investigated the role of PNPase in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) P deprivation response by comparing wild-type and pnp mutant plants with respect to their morphology, metabolite profiles, and transcriptomes. We found that P-deprived pnp mutants develop aborted clusters of lateral roots, which are characterized by decreased auxin responsiveness and cell division, and exhibit cell death at the root tips. Electron microscopy revealed that the collapse of root organelles is enhanced in the pnp mutant under P deprivation and occurred with low frequency under P-replete conditions. Global analyses of metabolites and transcripts were carried out to understand the molecular bases of these altered P deprivation responses. We found that the pnp mutant expresses some elements of the deprivation response even when grown on a full nutrient medium, including altered transcript accumulation, although its total and inorganic P contents are not reduced. The pnp mutation also confers P status-independent responses, including but not limited to stress responses. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that the activity of the chloroplast PNPase is involved in plant acclimation to P availability and that it may help maintain an appropriate balance of P metabolites even under normal growth conditions. Experiment Overall Design: For each timepoints (3h and one week), we compared WT and pnp1-1 on +P and on -P, so a total of eight conditions For each condition, three biological replicates of at least 4 seedlings (without roots) were analyzed.
Project description:A prominent enzyme in organellar RNA metabolism is the exoribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase), whose reversible activity is governed by the nucleotides diphosphate-inorganic phosphate ratio. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, PNPase regulates chloroplast transcript accumulation in response to phosphorus (P) starvation, and PNPase expression is repressed by the response regulator PSR1 under these conditions. Here, we investigated the role of PNPase in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) P deprivation response by comparing wild-type and pnp mutant plants with respect to their morphology, metabolite profiles, and transcriptomes. We found that P-deprived pnp mutants develop aborted clusters of lateral roots, which are characterized by decreased auxin responsiveness and cell division, and exhibit cell death at the root tips. Electron microscopy revealed that the collapse of root organelles is enhanced in the pnp mutant under P deprivation and occurred with low frequency under P-replete conditions. Global analyses of metabolites and transcripts were carried out to understand the molecular bases of these altered P deprivation responses. We found that the pnp mutant expresses some elements of the deprivation response even when grown on a full nutrient medium, including altered transcript accumulation, although its total and inorganic P contents are not reduced. The pnp mutation also confers P status-independent responses, including but not limited to stress responses. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that the activity of the chloroplast PNPase is involved in plant acclimation to P availability and that it may help maintain an appropriate balance of P metabolites even under normal growth conditions.
Project description:We performed a transcriptomic analysis of Pi starvation responses in Arabidopsis thaliana (Columbia-0) wild type plants under phosphate starvation stress and in plants with altered PHR1(-like) activity, comparing mutants of phr1 and phr1-phl1 grown in phosphate-lacking medium. Results show the central role of PHR1 and functionally redundant members of its family in the control of transcriptional responses to Pi starvation.
Project description:transcripomics on the arabidopsis root tip during phosphate starvation-Transcripomics on the Arabidopsis Root tip during phosphate starvation
Project description:Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are widely expressed in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Eukaryotic ncRNAs are commonly small (18-25 nt) micro- and small interfering RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene silencing, while prokaryotic ncRNAs vary in size and are involved in various aspects of gene regulation. Given the prokaryotic origin of organelles, the presence of ncRNAs might be expected, however, the full spectrum of organellar ncRNAs has not been determined systematically. Here, strand-specific RNA-Seq analysis was used to identify 107 candidate ncRNAs from Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts, primarily encoded opposite protein- coding and tRNA genes. Forty-eight ncRNAs were shown to accumulate by RNA gel blot as discrete transcripts in wild-type (WT) plants and/or the pnp1-1 mutant, which lacks the chloroplast ribonuclease polynucleotide phosphorylase (cpPNPase). Ninety-eight percent of the ncRNAs detected by RNA gel blot had different transcript patterns between WT and pnp1-1, suggesting cpPNPase has a significant role in chloroplast ncRNA biogenesis and accumulation. Analysis of materials deficient for other major chloroplast ribonucleases, RNase R, RNase E and RNase J, showed differential effects on ncRNA accumulation and/or form, suggesting specificity in RNase-ncRNA interactions. 5' end mapping showed that some ncRNAs are transcribed from dedicated promoters, while others result from transcriptional read-through. Finally, correlations between accumulation of some ncRNAs and the symmetrically-transcribed sense RNA are consistent with a role in RNA stability. Overall, our data suggest that this extensive population of ncRNAs has the potential to underpin a previously underappreciated regulatory mode in the chloroplast.
Project description:In this study we show the comparative transcriptome of constitutive subtilisin3 (csb3) plants, an Arabidopsis mutant showing strikingly enhanced resistance to biotrophic pathogens. CSB3 encodes a 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-butenyl 4-diphosphate synthase, the enzyme controlling the penultimate step of the biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate via the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway in the chloroplast. It has been proposed that CSB3 represents a point of metabolic convergence modulating the magnitude of SA-mediated disease resistance to biotrophic pathogens. We show that csb3 have increased expression of a set of genes encoding defense-related proteins and enzymes, which includes two subtilisins. In essence our results substantiates an important role of these two subtilases in the activation of defense-related signaling pathways against biotrophic pathogens.
Project description:Pi availability is a significant limiting factor for plant growth in both natural and agricultural systems. To cope with such limiting conditions, plants have adapted developmental and biochemical strategies to enhance Pi acquisition and to avoid starvation. A myriad of genes that are involved in the regulation and display of these strategies have been identified. However, the possible epigenetic components regulating the phosphate starvation responses have not been thoroughly investigated. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark involved in diverse biological processes and it may play a critical role in Pi starvation stress adaptation, also changes in DNA methylation can lead to a unique gene expression pattern in response to specific developmental and environmental conditions. Here in we demonstrate that non-CpG DNA methylation is required for proper expression of a number of Pi-limitation responsive genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and results in altered morphologic and physiologic phosphate starvation responses.Our data suggest that DNA methylation is involved in the modulation of Pi starvation responses via the transcriptional regulation of a set of phosphate-starvation responsive genes. Analysis of 8 different treatments, 2 different Organs (Root and Shoot), 2 different Phosphate treatments (High Pi, Low Pi), 2 different Times (Short Term, Long Term), 2 biological replicates for treatment
Project description:Background: Over application of phosphate fertilizers in modern agriculture contaminates waterways and disrupts natural ecosystems. Nevertheless, this is a common practice among farmers, especially in developing countries as abundant fertilizers are believed to boost crop yields. The study of plant phosphate metabolism and its underlying genetic pathways is key to discovering methods of efficient fertilizer usage. The work presented here describes the first genome-wide resource on the molecular dynamics underpinning the response and recovery in roots and shoots of Arabidopsis thaliana to phosphate-starvation. Results: Genome-wide profiling revealed minimal overlap between root and shoot transcriptomes suggesting two independent phosphate-starvation regulons. Novel gene expression patterns were detected for over 1000 candidates and were classified as either initial, persistent, or latent responders. Comparative analysis to AtGenExpress identified novel cohorts of genes co-regulated across multiple stimuli. The hormone ABA displayed a dominant role in regulating many phosphate-responsive candidates. Analysis of co-regulation enabled the determination of primary versus redundant members of closely related gene families with respect to phosphate-starvation. Thus, among others, we show that PHO1 acts in shoot, whereas PHO1;H1 is likely the primary regulator in root. Conclusion: Our results uncover a much larger, staged responses to phosphate-starvation than previously described. To our knowledge, this work describes the highest resolution of genome-wide data on plant nutrient stress to date.
Project description:Pi availability is a significant limiting factor for plant growth in both natural and agricultural systems. To cope with such limiting conditions, plants have adapted developmental and biochemical strategies to enhance Pi acquisition and to avoid starvation. A myriad of genes that are involved in the regulation and display of these strategies have been identified. However, the possible epigenetic components regulating the phosphate starvation responses have not been thoroughly investigated. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark involved in diverse biological processes and it may play a critical role in Pi starvation stress adaptation, also changes in DNA methylation can lead to a unique gene expression pattern in response to specific developmental and environmental conditions. Here in we demonstrate that non-CpG DNA methylation is required for proper expression of a number of Pi-limitation responsive genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and results in altered morphologic and physiologic phosphate starvation responses.Our data suggest that DNA methylation is involved in the modulation of Pi starvation responses via the transcriptional regulation of a set of phosphate-starvation responsive genes.