Project description:Plants regenerated from tissue culture frequently show somaclonal variation. In this study we compared the transcriptomic and epigenetic state of embryogenic callus of grapevine with leaves from mature grapevine plants. In particular, we focussed on the expression of transposable elements and changes in siRNA abundance and genome-wide methylation in these tissues.
Project description:Plants regenerated from tissue culture frequently show somaclonal variation. In this study we compared the transcriptomic and epigenetic state of embryogenic callus of grapevine with leaves from mature grapevine plants. In particular, we focussed on the expression of transposable elements and changes in siRNA abundance and genome-wide methylation in these tissues.
Project description:Somatic variation is a valuable source of trait diversity in clonally propagated crops. In grapevine, which has been clonally propagated worldwide for centuries, important phenotypes such as white berry colour are the result of genetic changes caused by transposable elements. Additionally, epiallele formation may play a role in determining geo-specific (‘terroir’) differences in grapes and thus ultimately in wine. This genomic plasticity might be co-opted for crop improvement via somatic embryogenesis, but that depends on a species-specific understanding of the epigenetic regulation of transposable element (TE) expression and silencing in these cultures. For this reason, we used whole-genome bisulphite sequencing, mRNA sequencing and small RNA sequencing to study the epigenetic status and expression of TEs in embryogenic callus, in comparison with leaf tissue.
Project description:Plants regenerated from tissue culture frequently show somaclonal variation. In this study we compared the transcriptomic and epigenetic state of embryogenic callus of grapevine with leaves from mature grapevine plants. In particular, we focussed on the expression of transposable elements and changes in siRNA abundance and genome-wide methylation in these tissues.