Project description:Coevolutionary change requires reciprocal selection between interacting species, i.e., that the partner genotypes that are favored in one species depend on the genetic composition of the interacting species. Coevolutionary genetic variation is manifested as genotype ´ genotype (G ´ G) interactions for fitness from interspecific interactions. Although quantitative genetic approaches have revealed abundant evidence for G ´ G interactions in symbioses, the molecular basis of this variation remains unclear. Here we study the molecular basis of G ´ G interactions in a model legume-rhizobium mutualism using gene expression microarrays. We find that, like quantitative traits such as fitness, variation in the symbiotic transcriptome may be partitioned into additive and interactive genetic components. Our results suggest that plant genetic variation is the largest influence on nodule gene expression, and that plant genotype and the plant genotype ´ rhizobium genotype interaction determine global shifts in rhizobium gene expression that in turn feedback to influence plant fitness benefits. Moreover, the transcriptomic variation we uncover implicates regulatory changes in both species as drivers of symbiotic gene expression variation. Our study is the first to partition genetic variation in a symbiotic transcriptome, and illuminates potential molecular routes of coevolutionary change. We assayed gene expression using three biological replicates for each plant genotype × rhizobium genotype combination (4 combinations) for a total of 12 chips.
Project description:Coevolutionary change requires reciprocal selection between interacting species, i.e., that the partner genotypes that are favored in one species depend on the genetic composition of the interacting species. Coevolutionary genetic variation is manifested as genotype ´ genotype (G ´ G) interactions for fitness from interspecific interactions. Although quantitative genetic approaches have revealed abundant evidence for G ´ G interactions in symbioses, the molecular basis of this variation remains unclear. Here we study the molecular basis of G ´ G interactions in a model legume-rhizobium mutualism using gene expression microarrays. We find that, like quantitative traits such as fitness, variation in the symbiotic transcriptome may be partitioned into additive and interactive genetic components. Our results suggest that plant genetic variation is the largest influence on nodule gene expression, and that plant genotype and the plant genotype ´ rhizobium genotype interaction determine global shifts in rhizobium gene expression that in turn feedback to influence plant fitness benefits. Moreover, the transcriptomic variation we uncover implicates regulatory changes in both species as drivers of symbiotic gene expression variation. Our study is the first to partition genetic variation in a symbiotic transcriptome, and illuminates potential molecular routes of coevolutionary change. We assayed gene expression using three biological replicates for each plant genotype × rhizobium genotype combination (4 combinations) for a total of 12 chips. We compared gene expression in each of four combinations of Medicago truncatula families and Sinorhizobium meliloti strains using Affymetrix Medicago GeneChips to study how the entire transcriptome and individual genes responded to differences between plant families, between rhizobium strains, and due to the plant family × rhizobium strain (G × G) interaction.
Project description:89 small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were identified in the soil-dwelling alpha-proteobacterium Rhizobium etli by comparing an extensive compilation of ncRNA predictions to intergenic expression data of a whole-genome tiling array. The differential expression levels of some of these ncRNAs during free-living growth and during interaction with the eukaryotic host plant may indicate a role in adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
Project description:Background The composition of intramuscular fat depends on genetic and environmental factors, including the diet. In pigs, we identified a haplotype of three SNP mutations in the steaoryl-coA desaturase (SCD) gene promoter associated with higher content of monounsaturated fatty acids in intramuscular fat. The second of these three SNPs (rs80912566, C>T) affected a putative retinol response element in the SCD promoter. The effect of dietary vitamin A restriction over intramuscular fat content is controversial in pigs as it seems to depend on the genetic line and the duration of the restriction. This study aims to investigate changes in the muscle transcriptome in SCD rs80912566_TT and CC pigs fed with and without vitamin A supplement during the fattening period. Results Vitamin A did not affect carcass fattening traits and fatty acid composition in muscle, but we observed an interaction between vitamin A and SCD genotype on the desaturation of muscle fatty acids. The diet without vitamin A supplement tended to enlarge the compositional differences between genotypes. The interaction between diet and genotype was also evident at the transcriptome level, the highest number of differentially expressed genes were detected between SCD rs80912566_TT pigs fed with the two diets. Conclusions Restricting dietary vitamin A during the fattening period did not improve intramuscular fat content despite relevant changes in muscle gene expression, both in coding and non-coding genes. Despite this, there was a significant interaction between the SCD genotype and the dietary vitamin A, which affected the quality of the meat through a change in the saturation index of intramuscular fat and activated general pathways of retinol response in a SCD genotype-dependant manner.
Project description:Salt stress is a major agricultural concern inhibiting not only plant growth but also the symbiotic association between legume roots and the soil bacteria rhizobia. This symbiotic association is initiated by a molecular dialogue between the two partners, leading to the activation of a signaling cascade in the legume host and ultimately the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Here we show that a moderate salt stress increases the responsiveness of early symbiotic genes in Medicago truncatula to its symbiotic partner, Sinorhizobium meliloti, while conversely, inoculation with S. meliloti counteracts salt-regulated gene expression, restoring one-third to control levels. Our analysis of Early Nodulin 11 shows that salt-induced expression is dynamic, Nod-factor dependent, and requires the ionic, but not the osmotic, component of salt. We demonstrate that salt stimulation of rhizobium-induced gene expression requires NSP2, which functions as a node to integrate the abiotic and biotic signals. In addition, our work reveals that inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti succinoglycan mutants also hyperinduces ENOD11 expression in the presence or absence of salt, suggesting a possible link between rhizobial exopolysaccharide and the plant response to salt stress. Finally, we identify an accessory set of genes that are induced by rhizobium only under conditions of salt stress and have not been previously identified as being nodulation-related genes. Our data suggests that interplay of core nodulation genes with different accessory sets, specific for different abiotic conditions, function to establish the symbiosis. Together, our findings reveal a complex and dynamic interaction between plant, microbe, and environment.