Project description:The goal of this work was to investigate the influence of low red to far-red (R:FR) signals generated by a biological weedy and an artificial source of far-red light on the nitrate assimilation pathway in maize. In the absence of direct resource competition, far-red light reflected from neighboring weeds compromises light quality (red to far-red ratio; R/FR) and causes a wide range of morphological and physiological responses at early growth stages of crop plants. This study has investigated the effects of low R/FR light signals on nitrate assimilation in maize seedlings. The transcript levels of genes, metabolites, and activities of enzyme in the nitrate assimilation pathway under a biological and a simulated low R:FR light environment were compared with a high R:FR control environment. Low R:FR signals stimulated nitrate accumulation in maize leaves, which did not appear to result from the upregulation of nitrate transporter genes. A significant reduction in ferredoxin-dependent glutamine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity appears to play a major role in nitrate accumulation under low R:FR light environments, while activities of other enzymes of the nitrate assimilation pathway remain unchanged.
Project description:Differential expression of microRNAs was studied in maize leaves after an 8-h-exposure under UV-B light. As a control, plants were kept in the greenhouse in the absence of UV-B
Project description:These experiments were to investigate changes in gene expression associated with maize competition for light when grown at double normal population density or under 60% shaded conditions as opposed to when maize is grown under normal field conditions.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in maize plants (standard maize line B73) in controlled conditions under continuous light. Tissues of the leaf elongation zone were sampled from plants well watered every 12 hours before and after lights on.
Project description:Small peptides (sPeptides), a class of biological molecules of less than 100 amio acids encoded by small open reading frames (sORFs), play important roles in multiple biological process. Here, we conducted a comprehensive study using mRNA-seq, Ribo-seq, and Mass Spectrometry (MS) on six tissues (each with at least two replicates) of maize, set up a bioinformatic pipeline, and performed a genome-wide scan of sORFs and sPeptides in maize. Our study sets up a guildline for the genome-wide scan of sORFs and sPeptides in plants by integrating Ribo-seq, and MS data, provides a more comprehensive resource of functional sPeptides in maize, and sheds light on the complex biological system of plants in a new perspective.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in maize plants (standard maize line B73) in controlled conditions under continuous light. Tissues of the leaf elongation zone were sampled from plants well watered every 12 hours before and after lights on. A nine chip (Biogemma Nimblegen Custom Array) study using total RNA recovered from three replicates (plants) sampled every 12 hours (1h before and 12 and 24h after lights on).
Project description:The goal of the experiment was to perform a large scale study of circadian regulation of gene expression in maize. To identify maize genes with expression regulated by the circadian clock, transcript levels in the aerial tissues of young maize seedlings were determined by transcriptional profiling with the Affymetrix GeneChip Maize Genome Array. Maize inbred B73 seedlings were grown inside Conviron growth chamber. B73 seedlings were grown for 7 days under 12 h light:12 h dark (LD) photocycles, 26° C temperature and 70% humidity. At the 8th day, seedlings were transferred to continuous light (LL) and were allowed to entrain completely for 24 h prior to tissue harvest following which tissue was harvested every 4 hours under LL conditions for a period of 48h. Therefore, for the circadian LL time course 12 time points were collected as follows (also defined as factors in the treatment section): ZT0 - 8:00 am/ subjective dawn/ Day1 ZT4 - 12:00 pm/ subjective mid-day/ Day1 ZT8 - 4:00 pm/ subjective late-day/ Day1 ZT12 - 8:00 pm/ subjective dusk/ Day1 ZT16 - 12:00 am/ subjective mid-night/ Day1 ZT20 - 4:00 am/ subjective pre-dawn/ Day1 ZT24- 8:00 am/ subjective dawn/ Day2 ZT28 - 12:00 pm/ subjective mid-day/ Day2 ZT32 - 4:00 pm/ subjective late-day/ Day2 ZT36 - 8:00 pm/ subjective dusk/ Day2 ZT40 - 12:00 am/ subjective mid-night/ Day2 ZT44 - 4:00 am/ subjective pre-dawn/ Day2 Tissue comprised of aerial portion of the seedlings (corresponding to tissue from the prop roots and up) for RNA isolation. Total RNA was isolated from the entire aerial portion of 7 day-old seedlings (corresponding to tissue from the prop roots and up) by Trizol extraction followed by Qiagen RNeasy columns and treatment with RNase-free DNase I (Qiagen; qiagen.com). RNA was isolated from 3 independent biological replicates was pooled. cRNA was generated from pooled total RNA from 3 biological replicates with the GeneChip One-Cycle Target Labeling kit according to the manufacturer’s recommendations (Affymetrix, affymetrix.com). The University of California, Berkeley Functional Genomics Laboratory hybridized samples to Affymetrix GeneChip Maize Genome Arrays and scanned the washed arrays as suggested by manufacturer. Probe sets called “Not Present” or “Marginal” on one or more microarrays were removed from the downstream analysis, as is common practice with circadian studies. Raw hybridization intensities were normalized across all twelve arrays using RMA express in Perfect Match mode. ****[PLEXdb(http://www.plexdb.org) has submitted this series at GEO on behalf of the original contributor, Frank G. Harmon. The equivalent experiment is ZM28 at PLEXdb.] Continuous Light: ZT0(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT4(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT8(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT12(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT16(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT20(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT24(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT28(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT32(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT36(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT40(1-replications); Continuous Light: ZT44(1-replications)
Project description:Ustilago maydis is a plant-pathogenic fungus that establishes a biotrophic relationship with its host Zea mays. The biotrophic interaction is initiated upon host penetration, and involves expansion of the host plasma membrane around hyphae, which is thought to facilitate the exchange of nutrients and virulence factors. Transcriptional regulators involved in the establishment of an infectious dikaryon and penetration into the host have been identified, however, regulators involved in the post-penetration stages remained to be elucidated. In the study we report the identification of an Ustilago maydis forkhead transcription factor, Fox1, which is exclusively expressed during biotrophic development. Deletion of fox1 results in reduced virulence and impaired tumour development in planta. Microarray analyses of Δfox1-infected plant tissue identified Fox1 as a transcriptional activator, involved in the expression of secreted effectors required for virulence. Maize plants were infected with a mixture of either FB1 and FB2 (wild-type), or FB1∆fox1 and FB2∆fox1 crossings, to measure the impact of fox1 on pathogenic development. Early Golden Bantam maize plants were grown in a phytochamber in a 15h/9h light-dark cycle; light period started/ended with 1h ramping of light intensity. Maize plants were kept at 28°C (light) and 20° (dark). Plantlets were individually sown in pots with potting soil (Fruhstorfer Pikiererde) and infected 7 days after sowing, 1 h before end of the light period. Infected leaf tumor material from at least 10 plants was collected 5 days post infection, 1 h before the end of the light period and directly frozen in liquid nitrogen for RNA-extraction. RNA samples were extracted from infected leaf tissue 5 days after infection.
Project description:To investigate the developmental gradient of the third maize leaf, the light exposed area of the leaf (corresponding to 18cm of leaf) and 2cm shaded by the sheath were sampled in ten slices. Four replicates were collected, immediately shock frozen in liquid nitrogen and subsequently cut into 2cm slices. At least 10 plants were pooled for each biological replicate. We have systematically analyzed a developmental gradient of the third maize leaf from the point of emergence into the light to the tip in ten continuous leaf slices to study organ development and physiological and biochemical functions. Transcriptome analysis, oxygen sensitivity of photosynthesis, delta-13C values, and photosynthetic rate measurements showed that the maize leaf undergoes a sink to source transition without an intermediate phase of C3 photosynthesis or operation of a photorespiratory carbon pump. Metabolome and transcriptome analysis, chlorophyll and protein measurements, as well as dry weight determination showed continuous gradients for all analyzed items. The absence of binary on-off switches and regulons pointed to a morphogradient along the leaf as the determining factor of developmental stage. Analysis of transcription factors for differential expression along the leaf gradient defined a list of putative regulators orchestrating the sink-to-source transition and establishment of C4 photosynthesis. Finally, transcriptome and metabolome analysis, as well as enzyme activity measurements, and absolute quantification of selected metabolites revised the current model of maize C4 photosynthesis. All datasets are included within the publication to serve as a resource for maize leaf systems biology. For the transcriptional analysis, the goal of the study was to (i) identify whether the leaf contains binary switches for genes involved in photosynthesis, (ii)characterize the patterns of gene expression in the leaf, (iii) provide independent validation of maize leaf expression experiments published in Li et al. (2011) and (iv) determine transcripts co-expressed with key transcripts of C4 photosynthesis. To this end, changed transcripts were determined by ANOVA and characterized by K-means and hierachical clustering.