Project description:Sexual reproduction in angiosperms requires the production and delivery of two male gametes by a three-celled haploid male gametophyte. This demands synchronised gene expression in a short developmental window to ensure double fertilization and seed set. While transcriptomic changes in developing pollen are known for Arabidopsis, no studies have integrated RNA and proteomic data in this model. Further, the role of alternative splicing has not been fully addressed, yet post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation may have a key role in gene expression dynamics during microgametogenesis. We have refined and substantially updated global transcriptomic and proteomic changes in developing pollen for two Arabidopsis accessions. Despite the superiority of RNA-seq over microarray-based platforms, we demonstrate high reproducibility and comparability. We identify thousands of long non-coding RNAs as potential regulators of pollen development, hundreds of changes in alternative splicing and provide insight into mRNA translation rate and storage in developing pollen. Our analysis delivers an integrated perspective of gene expression dynamics in developing Arabidopsis pollen and a foundation for studying the role of alternative splicing in this model.
Project description:Small RNA diversity and function has been widely characterized in various tissues of the sporophytic generation of the angiosperm model Arabidopsis thaliana. In contrast, there is limited knowledge about small RNA diversity and their roles in developing male gametophytes. We thus carried out small RNA sequencing on RNA isolated from four stages of developing Arabidopsis thaliana pollen. Spores from 4 stages of pollen development (UNM: Uninucleate microspore M-bM-^@M-^S BCP: Bicellular pollen M-bM-^@M-^S TCP: Tricellular pollen M-bM-^@M-^S MP: Mature pollen) were isolated using a percoll gradient-based method (Honys and Twell, 2004) and the small RNA fraction for each sample was isolated and sequenced by Illumina technology. Reference: Honys, D. and Twell, D. (2004) Transcriptome analysis of haploid male gametophyte development in Arabidopsis. Genome Biol. 5/11/R85.
Project description:Small RNA diversity and function has been widely characterized in various tissues of the sporophytic generation of the angiosperm model Arabidopsis thaliana. In contrast, there is limited knowledge about small RNA diversity and their roles in developing male gametophytes. We thus carried out small RNA sequencing on RNA isolated from four stages of developing Arabidopsis thaliana pollen.
Project description:Aims We aim to use transcriptome analysis to establish on a genome-wide scale the identity and regulatory clusters of genes that specify microgametogenesis from the haploid microspore to mature functional pollen in Arabidopsis. Background Pollen as the haploid male gametophyte plays a vital role in plant fertility and crop production through the ability to deliver the male gametes in fertilisation. Despite the obvious importance for plant fertility and crop production we have a very limited understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that have evolved to specify male gametophyte development and functions and less than 150 genes have been identified that are gametophytically expressed in the anther.The availability of functional genomic resources now provides the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive approach to describing cellular development in terms of the transcriptome. This approach is particularly powerful where the complete transcriptome of a single developing cell can be analysed. The male gametophyte is a uniquely accessible cell type for such studies, enabling RNA analysis from distinct purified cell populations during development.The proposed experiments are designed to support a current application (P19208, Twell) to investigate the gametophytic transcriptome and transcription factor networks. The results obtained will extend our knowledge of the contribution of haploid gene expression to anther development and will be used directly to extend BBSRC funded work (P15086, Wilson) to investigate the role and targets the MALE STERILE 1 gene (MS1). In particular the data will be used in collaboration to extract haploid gene expression from datasets of transcriptome analysis of staged flower buds of wild type (Ler) and ms1. This work will also complement BBSRC funded work on sporogenesis (G13338, Dickinson and Scott) and meiosis (G15941, Franklin and Jones) that are focussed on earlier steps in anther development. Biological material and methods. Isolated microspores and pollen at 4 different developmental stages will be analysed. We will isolate spores from developmentally staged buds of Ler grown under defined growth conditions. Buds from several batches of 100 plants will be rapidly sorted into 4 groups according to developmental age, uninucleate microspores (UM), bicellular pollen (BP) tricellular pollen (TP) and mature pollen. Spores will be released by gentle mechanical tissue disruption and purified by filtration and purification of spores. We are confident that our spore isolation procedures are rigorous since we could not detect even trace expression of highly abundant sporophytic transcripts such RbcS and Cab transcripts in microarray data from pollen RNA. Keywords: development_or_differentiation_design
Project description:The CLAVATA3/ESR-RELATED (CLE) peptide hormones are required for numerous plant growth and developmental processes. However, little is known regarding the function and working mechanism of the CLEs in the anther. Here, using RNA in situ hybridization analyses, we identified 7 CLE genes that are specifically expressed in the tapetum and microsporocytes in the anther, and the dominant-negative mutant plants of each of these genes exhibited significantly reduced anther size, pollen number, and abnormal pollen wall formation. Further transcriptomic and proteomic studies on cle19, DN-CLE19, and CLE19-OX mutant lines revealed that CLE19 affected the expression of more than 1,000 genes at the RNA level and 595 at the protein level, including genes involved in pollen coat and pollen exine formation, lipid metabolism, pollen germination, and hormone metabolism processes. Phenotypic analyses of mutants of the CLE19 downstream genes GRP20, ACOS5 and MEE48 revealed that the formation of pollen exine was affected in these mutants, confirming that these genes function downstream of CLE19 in the regulation of pollen wall formation. These findings demonstrate the function and downstream genes of CLE19 and redundant genes, providing insights into working pathways of the peptide hormones in pollen development.
Project description:Aims We aim to use transcriptome analysis to establish on a genome-wide scale the identity and regulatory clusters of genes that specify microgametogenesis from the haploid microspore to mature functional pollen in Arabidopsis. Background Pollen as the haploid male gametophyte plays a vital role in plant fertility and crop production through the ability to deliver the male gametes in fertilisation. Despite the obvious importance for plant fertility and crop production we have a very limited understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that have evolved to specify male gametophyte development and functions and less than 150 genes have been identified that are gametophytically expressed in the anther.The availability of functional genomic resources now provides the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive approach to describing cellular development in terms of the transcriptome. This approach is particularly powerful where the complete transcriptome of a single developing cell can be analysed. The male gametophyte is a uniquely accessible cell type for such studies, enabling RNA analysis from distinct purified cell populations during development.The proposed experiments are designed to support a current application (P19208, Twell) to investigate the gametophytic transcriptome and transcription factor networks. The results obtained will extend our knowledge of the contribution of haploid gene expression to anther development and will be used directly to extend BBSRC funded work (P15086, Wilson) to investigate the role and targets the MALE STERILE 1 gene (MS1). In particular the data will be used in collaboration to extract haploid gene expression from datasets of transcriptome analysis of staged flower buds of wild type (Ler) and ms1. This work will also complement BBSRC funded work on sporogenesis (G13338, Dickinson and Scott) and meiosis (G15941, Franklin and Jones) that are focussed on earlier steps in anther development. Biological material and methods. Isolated microspores and pollen at 4 different developmental stages will be analysed. We will isolate spores from developmentally staged buds of Ler grown under defined growth conditions. Buds from several batches of 100 plants will be rapidly sorted into 4 groups according to developmental age, uninucleate microspores (UM), bicellular pollen (BP) tricellular pollen (TP) and mature pollen. Spores will be released by gentle mechanical tissue disruption and purified by filtration and purification of spores. We are confident that our spore isolation procedures are rigorous since we could not detect even trace expression of highly abundant sporophytic transcripts such RbcS and Cab transcripts in microarray data from pollen RNA. Experiment Overall Design: Number of plants pooled:over 100
Project description:Our results show that ICE1 controls plant male fertility via impacting anther dehydration. The loss-of-function mutation in ICE1 gene in Arabidopsis caused anther indehiscence and decreased pollen viability as well as germination rate. Further analysis revealed that the anthers in the mutant of ICE1 (ice1-2) had the structure of stomium, though the epidermis did not shrink to dehisce. The anther indehiscence and influenced pollen viability as well as germination in ice1-2 were due to abnormal anther dehydration, for most of anthers dehisced with drought treatment and pollen grains from those dehydrated anthers had similar viability and germination rates compared with wild type. Accordingly, the sterility of ice1-2 could be rescued by ambient dehydration treatments. Likewise, the stomatal differentiation of ice1-2 anther epidermis was disrupted in a different manner compared with that in leaves. ICE1 specifically bound to MYC-recognition elements in the promoter of FAMA, a key regulator of guard cell differentiation, to activate FAMA expression. Transcriptome profiling in the anther tissues further exhibited ICE1-modulated genes associated with water transport and ion exchange in the anther. Together, this work reveals the key role of ICE1 in male fertility control and establishes a regulatory network mediated by ICE1 for stomata development and water movement in the anther.
Project description:Single-cell genomics provides unprecedented potential for research on plant development and environmental responses. Here, we introduce a generic procedure for plant nuclei isolation combined with nanowell-based library preparation. Our method enables the transcriptome analysis of thousands of individual plant nuclei. It serves as alternative to the use of protoplast isolation, which is currently the standard methodology for plant single-cell genomics, although it can be challenging for some plant tissues. We show the applicability of our nuclei isolation method by using different plant materials from different species. The potential of our snRNA-seq method is shown through the characterization of transcriptomes of seedlings and developing flowers from Arabidopsis thaliana. We evaluated the transcriptome dynamics during the early stages of anther development, identified stage-specific activities of transcription factors underlying this process and predicted potential target genes of these transcription factors. Our nuclei isolation procedure can be applied in different plant species and tissues, thus expanding the toolkit for plant single-cell genomics experiments.
Project description:Pollen is the male gametophyte of land plants. Proper development and maturation of pollen is necessary for the successful reproduction of seed plants. This process involves sophisticated coordination between sporophytic and gametophytic tissues in anthers. To advance the mechanistic studies of anther development, additional players need to be discovered for a comprehensive understanding of the underlying regulatory network. Here we show that the Arabidopsis dual specificity tyrosine phophorylated and regulated kinase (DRYK), AtYAK1, is essential for development of rosette leaves and the male but not female gametophyte in Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis mutant plants carrying a mutation in AtYAK1 produce developmentally stalled microspores, likely because of the defects in the two consecutive mitosis steps in the post-meiotic maturation process of pollen. The mutation of AtYAK1 has a significant effect on gene expression programs in developing pollen. Transcritpome analysis of atyak1 revealed downstream genes in families of protein kinases, transporters and transcription factors, which potentially contribute to pollen development. This study represents the first molecular characterization of DYRK in the plant kingdom. Our results also imply that the regulation of cytokinesis by DYRKs is evolutionally conserved in fungus, fruit fly, animals and plants.