CRISPR-Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing of the Model Grass Species Brachypodium distachyon

Author(s):  
Deborah Petrik
Planta ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 230 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Turgay Unver ◽  
Hikmet Budak

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6700
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Skalska ◽  
Christoph Stritt ◽  
Michele Wyler ◽  
Hefin W. Williams ◽  
Martin Vickers ◽  
...  

Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) is a non-domesticated model grass species that can be used to test if variation in genetic sequence or methylation are linked to environmental differences. To assess this, we collected seeds from 12 sites within five climatically distinct regions of Turkey. Seeds from each region were grown under standardized growth conditions in the UK to preserve methylated sequence variation. At six weeks following germination, leaves were sampled and assessed for genomic and DNA methylation variation. In a follow-up experiment, phenomic approaches were used to describe plant growth and drought responses. Genome sequencing and population structure analysis suggested three ancestral clusters across the Mediterranean, two of which were geographically separated in Turkey into coastal and central subpopulations. Phenotypic analyses showed that the coastal subpopulation tended to exhibit relatively delayed flowering and the central, increased drought tolerance as indicated by reduced yellowing. Genome-wide methylation analyses in GpC, CHG and CHH contexts also showed variation which aligned with the separation into coastal and central subpopulations. The climate niche modelling of both subpopulations showed a significant influence from the “Precipitation in the Driest Quarter” on the central subpopulation and “Temperature of the Coldest Month” on the coastal subpopulation. Our work demonstrates genetic diversity and variation in DNA methylation in Turkish accessions of Brachypodium that may be associated with climate variables and the molecular basis of which will feature in ongoing analyses.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyria Roessler ◽  
Shohei Takuno ◽  
Brandon Gaut

DNA methylation has the potential to influence plant growth and development through its influence on gene expression. To date, however, the evidence from plant systems is mixed as to whether patterns of DNA methylation vary significantly among tissues and, if so, whether these differences affect tissue-specific gene expression. To address these questions, we analyzed both bisulfite sequence (BSseq) and transcriptomic sequence data from three biological replicates of two tissues (leaf and floral bud) from the model grass species Brachypodium distachyon. Our first goal was to determine whether tissues were more differentiated in DNA methylation than explained by variation among biological replicates. Tissues were more differentiated than biological replicates, but the analysis of replicated data revealed high (>50%) false positive rates for the inference of differentially methylated sites (DMSs) and differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Comparing methylation to gene expression, we found that differential CG methylation consistently covaried negatively with gene expression, regardless as to whether methylation was within genes, within their promoters or even within their closest transposable element. The relationship between gene expression and either CHG or CHH methylation was less consistent. In total, CG methylation in promoters explained 9% of the variation in tissue-specific expression across genes, suggesting that CG methylation is a minor but appreciable factor in tissue differentiation.


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey R. Hall ◽  
Vaibhav Dagg ◽  
Jamie M. Waterman ◽  
Scott N. Johnson

Grasses accumulate large amounts of silicon (Si) which is deposited in trichomes, specialised silica cells and cell walls. This may increase leaf toughness and reduce cell rupture, palatability and digestion. Few studies have measured leaf mechanical traits in response to Si, thus the effect of Si on herbivores can be difficult to disentangle from Si-induced changes in leaf surface morphology. We assessed the effects of Si on Brachypodium distachyon mechanical traits (specific leaf area (SLA), thickness, leaf dry matter content (LDMC), relative electrolyte leakage (REL)) and leaf surface morphology (macrohairs, prickle, silica and epidermal cells) and determined the effects of Si on the growth of two generalist insect herbivores (Helicoverpa armigera and Acheta domesticus). Si had no effect on leaf mechanical traits; however, Si changed leaf surface morphology: silica and prickle cells were on average 127% and 36% larger in Si supplemented plants, respectively. Prickle cell density was significantly reduced by Si, while macrohair density remained unchanged. Caterpillars were more negatively affected by Si compared to crickets, possibly due to the latter having a thicker and thus more protective gut lining. Our data show that Si acts as a direct defence against leaf-chewing insects by changing the morphology of specialised defence structures without altering leaf mechanical traits.


Genome ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 523-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Giraldo ◽  
Marta Rodríguez-Quijano ◽  
José F. Vázquez ◽  
José M. Carrillo ◽  
Elena Benavente

Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv. (2n = 2x = 10) is a small annual grass species where the existence of three different cytotypes (10, 20, and 30 chromosomes) has long been regarded as a case of autopolyploid series with x = 5. However, it has been demonstrated that the cytotypes assumed to be polyploids represent two separate Brachypodium species recently named as Brachypodium stacei (2n = 2x = 20) and Brachypodium hybridum (2n = 4x = 30). The aim of this study was to find a PCR-based alternative approach that could replace standard cytotyping methods (i.e., chromosome counting and flow cytometry) to characterize each of the three Brachypodium species. We have analyzed with four microsatellite (SSR) markers 83 B. distachyon-type lines from varied locations in Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands. Within this set of lines, 64, 4, and 15 had 10, 20, and 30 chromosomes, respectively. The surveyed markers produced cytotype-specific SSR profiles. So, a single amplification product was generated in the diploid samples, with nonoverlapping allelic ranges between the 2n = 10 and 2n = 20 cytotypes, whereas two bands, one in the size range of each of the diploid cytotypes, were amplified in the 2n = 30 lines. Furthermore, the remarkable size difference obtained with the SSR ALB165 allowed the identification of the Brachypodium species by simple agarose gel electrophoresis.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Woods ◽  
Thomas S. Ream ◽  
Richard M. Amasino

2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
José M. Barrero ◽  
John V. Jacobsen ◽  
Mark J. Talbot ◽  
Rosemary G. White ◽  
Stephen M. Swain ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1088-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinjia Li ◽  
Sheng Zuo ◽  
Zhiliang Zhang ◽  
Zhanjie Li ◽  
Jinlei Han ◽  
...  

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