Project description:Genetically engineering Arabidopsis thaliana to express Isoprene Synthase (ISPS) leads to changes in expression of genes assoiated with many growth regulator signaling pathways and signaling networks involved in abiotic and biotic stress responses.
Project description:We present a functional characterisation of two members of the IDA-LIKE (IDL) peptide family in Arabidopsis thaliana, IDL6 and IDL7. They are processed both C- and N-terminally to produce active peptides. Structure analyses of synthesized IDL6 and IDL7 peptides indicate that they lack secondary structure elements. Localisation studies suggest that the peptides require a signal peptide and C-terminally processing to be correctly transported out of the cell. Treatment of plants with synthetic IDL6 and IDL7 peptides resulted in down-regulation of a broad range of stress-responsive genes, including early stress-responsive transcripts, dominated by a large group of ZINC FINGER PROTEINS (ZFPs), WRKYs and genes encoding calcium-dependent proteins. idl6 and idl7 mutants were more tolerant to salt, whereas the respective overexpression lines displayed increased sensitivity to both salt and oxidative stress. Taken together, our results suggest that the putative peptide ligands IDL6 and IDL7 act as suppressors of abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis.
Project description:Plant responses to abiotic stresses are accompanied by massive changes in transcriptome composition. To provide a comprehensive view of stress-induced changes in the Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome, we have used whole-genome tiling arrays to analyze the effects of salt, osmotic, cold and heat stress as well as application of the hormone abscisic acid (ABA), an important mediator of stress responses.
Project description:Shortly after the release of singlet oxygen (1O2), drastic changes in nuclear gene expression occur in the conditional flu mutant of Arabidopsis that reveal a rapid transfer of signals from the plastid to the nucleus. In contrast to retrograde control of nuclear gene expression by plastid signals described earlier, the primary effect of 1O2 generation in the flu mutant is not the control of chloroplast biogenesis but the activation of a broad range of signaling pathways known to be involved in biotic and abiotic stress responses. This activity of a plastid-derived signal suggests a new function of the chloroplast, namely that of a sensor of environmental changes that activates a broad range of stress responses. Inactivation of the plastid protein EXECUTER1 attenuates the extent of 1O2-induced up-regulation of nuclear gene expression, but it does not fully eliminate these changes. A second related nuclear-encoded protein, dubbed EXECUTER2, has been identified that is also implicated with the signaling of 1O2-dependent nuclear gene expression changes. Like EXECUTER1, EXECUTER2 is confined to the plastid. Inactivation of both EXECUTER proteins in the ex1/ex2/flu triple mutant is sufficient to suppress the up-regulation of almost all 1O2-responsive genes. Retrograde control of 1O2-responsive genes requires the concerted action of both EXECUTER proteins within the plastid compartment. Keywords: biotic and abiotic stress response, nuclear gene expression, plastid-derived signal, Col-0 ecotype, continuous light and then dark-incubated plants
Project description:Arabidopsis microRNA expression regulation was studied in a wide array of abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, salinity, copper excess/deficiency, cadmium excess and sulphur deficiency. A home-built RT-qPCR mirEX platform for the amplification of 289 Arabidopsis microRNA transcripts was used to study their response to abiotic stresses. Small RNA sequencing and Northern hybridization were performed to study the expression of mature microRNAs. In the case of common climate change related stresses such as drought, heat and salinity we observed broad induction of the level of primary miRNAs that was not observed at the level of microRNAs.. In the case of local soil pollution stresses, that are represented by heavy metal contaminations or deprivation of a specific micro- or macroelement, the transcriptional response of pri-miRNAs was quite limited but also not predictive to the level of the mature microRNA. This points to an essential role of posttranscriptional regulation of microRNAs expression. We found that the level of several microRNAs can be differentially regulated in early and late response to stress. New Arabidopsis microRNAs responsive to abiotic stresses were discovered. Three microRNAs: miR319a/b, miR319b.2, and miR400 have been found to be responsive in several abiotic stresses and thus can be regarded as a general stress-responsive microRNA species. Additionally, a new target for miR319b.2 – TBL10 has been experimentally confirmed. However, its level under different abiotic stresses is unchanged in comparison to control conditions. In the promoter region of the TBL10 gene we found the presence of many stress-responsive elements. We suggest that transcriptional induction resulting in the increase of transcript levels is downregulated by the increase of the miR319b.2 ultimately resulting in a stable level of TBL10 mRNA. Our experiments show the existence of a complex regulatory network involved in the microRNA level control that is necessary to fine-tune plant response to environmental cues.
Project description:Identification of differentially expressed genes in Arabidopsis thaliana mutants in response to combined abiotic stress treatment through Microarray experiment.