scholarly journals Comparative analysis of differential gene expression indicates divergence in ontogenetic strategies of leaves in two conifer genera

Author(s):  
Cynthia Webster ◽  
Laura Figueroa-Corona ◽  
Iván Méndez-González ◽  
Lluvia Soto-Álvarez ◽  
David Neale ◽  
...  

In land plants, heteroblasty broadly refers to a drastic change in morphology during growth through ontogeny. Juniperus flaccida and Pinus cembroides are conifers of independent lineages known to exhibit leaf heteroblasty between the juvenile and adult life stage of development. Juvenile leaves of P. cembroides develop spirally on the main stem and appear decurrent, flattened and needle-like; whereas, adult photosynthetic leaves are triangular or semi-circular needle-like, and grow in whorls on secondary or tertiary compact dwarf shoots. By comparison, J. flaccida juvenile leaves are decurrent and needle-like, and adult leaves are compact, short and scale-like. Comparative analyses were performed to evaluate differences in anatomy and gene expression patterns between developmental phases in both species. RNA from twelve samples was sequenced and analyzed with available software. They were assembled de novo from the RNA-Seq reads. Following assembly, 63,741 high quality transcripts were functionally annotated in P. cembroides and 69,448 in J. flaccida. Evaluation of the orthologous groups yielded 4,140 shared gene families among the four references (adult and juvenile from each species). Activities related to cell division and development were more abundant in juveniles than adults in P. cembroides, and more abundant in adults than juveniles in J. flaccida. Overall, there were 509 up-regulated and 81 down-regulated genes in the juvenile condition of P. cembroides and 18 up-regulated and 20 down-regulated in J. flaccida. Gene interaction network analysis showed evidence of co-expression and co-localization of up-regulated genes involved in cell wall and cuticle formation, development, and phenylpropanoid pathway, in juvenile P. cembroides leaves. Whereas in J. flaccida, differential expression and gene interaction patterns were detected in genes involved in photosynthesis and chloroplast biogenesis. Although J. flaccida and P. cembroides both exhibit leaf heteroblastic development, little overlap was detected and unique genes and pathways were highlighted in this study.

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1465
Author(s):  
Ramon de Koning ◽  
Raphaël Kiekens ◽  
Mary Esther Muyoka Toili ◽  
Geert Angenon

Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) play an important role in plants but are also considered to be antinutritional factors. A profound understanding of the galactinol and RFO biosynthetic gene families and the expression patterns of the individual genes is a prerequisite for the sustainable reduction of the RFO content in the seeds, without compromising normal plant development and functioning. In this paper, an overview of the annotation and genetic structure of all galactinol- and RFO biosynthesis genes is given for soybean and common bean. In common bean, three galactinol synthase genes, two raffinose synthase genes and one stachyose synthase gene were identified for the first time. To discover the expression patterns of these genes in different tissues, two expression atlases have been created through re-analysis of publicly available RNA-seq data. De novo expression analysis through an RNA-seq study during seed development of three varieties of common bean gave more insight into the expression patterns of these genes during the seed development. The results of the expression analysis suggest that different classes of galactinol- and RFO synthase genes have tissue-specific expression patterns in soybean and common bean. With the obtained knowledge, important galactinol- and RFO synthase genes that specifically play a key role in the accumulation of RFOs in the seeds are identified. These candidate genes may play a pivotal role in reducing the RFO content in the seeds of important legumes which could improve the nutritional quality of these beans and would solve the discomforts associated with their consumption.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (15) ◽  
pp. 7578-7586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodil Øster ◽  
Per Höllsberg

ABSTRACT Herpesvirus gene expression is divided into immediate-early (IE) or α genes, early (E) or β genes, and late (L) or γ genes on the basis of temporal expression and dependency on other gene products. By using real-time PCR, we have investigated the expression of 35 human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) genes in T cells infected by strain PL-1. Kinetic analysis and dependency on de novo protein synthesis and viral DNA polymerase activity suggest that the HHV-6B genes segregate into six separate kinetic groups. The genes expressed early (groups I and II) and late (groups V and VI) corresponded well with IE and L genes, whereas the intermediate groups III and IV contained E and L genes. Although HHV-6B has characteristics similar to those of other roseoloviruses in its overall gene regulation, we detected three B-variant-specific IE genes. Moreover, genes that were independent of de novo protein synthesis clustered in an area of the viral genome that has the lowest identity to the HHV-6A variant. The organization of IE genes in an area of the genome that differs from that of HHV-6A underscores the distinct differences between HHV-6B and HHV-6A and may provide a basis for further molecular and immunological analyses to elucidate their different biological behaviors.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Αλέξανδρος Τσακογιάννης

The differences between sexes and the concept of sex determination have always fascinated, yet troubled philosophers and scientists. Among the animals that reproduce sexually, teleost fishes show a very wide repertoire of reproductive modes. Except for the gonochoristic species, fish are the only vertebrates in which hermaphroditism appears naturally. Hermaphroditism refers to the capability of an organism to reproduce both as male and female in its life cycle and there are various forms of it. In sequential hermaphroditism, an individual begins as female first and then can change sex to become male (protogyny), or vice versa (protandry). The diverse sex-phenotypes of fish are regulated by a variety of sex determination mechanisms, along a continuum of environmental and heritable factors. The vast majority of sexually dimorphic traits result from the differential expression of genes that are present in both sexes. To date, studies regarding the sex-specific differences in gene expression have been conducted mainly in sex determination systems of model fish species that are well characterized at the genomic level, with distinguishable heteromorphic sex chromosomes, exhibiting genetic sex determination and gonochorism. Among teleosts, the Sparidae family is considered to be one of the most diversified families regarding its reproductive systems, and thus is a unique model for comparative studies to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying different sexual motifs. In this study, using RNA sequencing, we studied the transcriptome from gonads and brains of both sexes in five sparid species, representatives of four different reproductive styles. Specifically, we explored the sex-specific expression patterns of a gonochoristic species: the common dentex Dentex dentex, two protogynous hermaphrodites: the red porgy Pagrus pagrus and the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus, the rudimentary hermaphrodite sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo, and the protandrous gilthead seabream Sparus aurata. We found minor sex-related expression differences indicating a more homogeneous and sexually plastic brain, whereas there was a plethora of sex biased gene expression in the gonads. The functional divergence of the two gonadal types is reflected in their transcriptomic profiles, in terms of the number of genes differentially expressed, as well as the expression magnitude (i.e. fold-change differences). The observation of almost double the number of up-regulated genes in males compared to females indicates a male-biased expression tendency. Focusing on the pathways and genes implicated in sex determination/differentiation, we aimed to unveil the molecular pathways through which these non-model fish species develop a masculine or a feminine character. We observed the implicated pathways and major gene families (e.g. Wnt/b-catenin pathway and Retinoic-acid signaling pathway, Notch, TGFβ) behind sex-biased expression and the recruitment of known sex-related genes either to male or female type of gonads in these fish. (e.g Dmrt1, Sox9, Sox3, Cyp19a, Filgla, Ctnnb1, Gsdf9, Stra6 etc.). We also carefully investigated the presence of genes reported to be involved in sex determination/differentiation mechanisms in other vertebrates and fish and compared their expression patterns in the species under study. The expression profiling exposed known candidate molecular-players/genes establishing the common female (Cyp19a1, Sox3, Figla, Gdf9, Cyp26a, Ctnnb1, Dnmt1, Stra6) and male identity (Dmrt1, Sox9, Dnmt3aa, Rarb, Raraa, Hdac8, Tdrd7) of the gonad in these sparids. Additionally, we focused on those contributing to a species-specific manner either to female (Wnt4a, Dmrt2a, Foxl2 etc.) or to male (Amh, Dmrt3a, Cyp11b etc.) characters, and discussed the expression patterns of factors that belong to important pathways and/or gene families in the SD context, in our species gonadal transcriptomes. Taken together, most of the studied genes form part of the cascade of sex determination, differentiation, and reproduction across teleosts. In this study, we focused on genes that are active when sex is established (sex-maintainers), revealing the basic “gene-toolkit” & gene-networks underlying functional sex in these five sparids. Comparing related species with alternative reproductive styles, we saw different combinations of genes with conserved sex-linked roles and some “handy” molecular players, in a “partially- conserved” or “modulated” network formulating the male and female phenotype. The knowledge obtained in this study and tools developed during the process have set the groundwork for future experiments that can improve the sex control of this species and help the in-deep understanding the complex process of sex differentiation in the more flexible multi-component systems as these studied here.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamas Zakar ◽  
Jonathan W. Paul

The characteristics of fetal membrane cells and their phenotypic adaptations to support pregnancy or promote parturition are defined by global patterns of gene expression controlled by chromatin structure. Heritable epigenetic chromatin modifications that include DNA methylation and covalent histone modifications establish chromatin regions permissive or exclusive of regulatory interactions defining the cell-specific scope and potential of gene activity. Non-coding RNAs acting at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels complement the system by robustly stabilizing gene expression patterns and contributing to ordered phenotype transitions. Here we review currently available information about epigenetic gene regulation in the amnion and the chorion laeve. In addition, we provide an overview of epigenetic phenomena in the decidua, which is the maternal tissue fused to the chorion membrane forming the anatomical and functional unit called choriodecidua. The relationship of gene expression with DNA (CpG) methylation, histone acetylation and methylation, micro RNAs, long non-coding RNAs and chromatin accessibility is discussed in the context of normal pregnancy, parturition and pregnancy complications. Data generated using clinical samples and cell culture models strongly suggests that epigenetic events are associated with the phenotypic transitions of fetal membrane cells during the establishment, maintenance and termination of pregnancy potentially driving and consolidating the changes as pregnancy progresses. Disease conditions and environmental factors may produce epigenetic footprints that indicate exposures and mediate adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although knowledge is expanding rapidly, fetal membrane epigenetics is still in an early stage of development necessitating further research to realize its remarkable basic and translational potential.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boryana S. Stamova ◽  
Debbie Laudencia-Chingcuanco ◽  
Diane M. Beckles

The expression of genes involved in starch synthesis in wheat was analyzed together with the accumulation profiles of soluble sugars, starch, protein, and starch granule distribution in developing caryopses obtained from the same biological materials used for profiling of gene expression using DNA microarrays. Multiple expression patterns were detected for the different starch biosynthetic gene isoforms, suggesting their relative importance through caryopsis development. Members of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase, starch branching enzyme, and sucrose synthase gene families showed different expression profiles; expression of some members of these gene families coincided with a period of high accumulation of starch while others did not. A biphasic pattern was observed in the rates of starch and protein accumulation which paralleled changes in global gene expression. Metabolic and regulatory genes that show a pattern of expression similar to starch accumulation and granule size distribution were identified, suggesting their coinvolvement in these biological processes.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 2897-2897
Author(s):  
Torsten Haferlach ◽  
Helmut Loeffler ◽  
Alexander Kohlmann ◽  
Martin Dugas ◽  
Wolfgang Hiddemann ◽  
...  

Abstract Balanced chromosomal rearrangements leading to fusion genes on the molecular level define distinct biological subsets in AML. The four balanced rearrangements (t(15;17), t(8;21), inv(16), and 11q23/MLL) show a close correlation to cytomorphology and gene expression patterns. We here focused on seven AML with t(8;16)(p11;p13). This translocation is rare (7/3515 cases in own cohort). It is more frequently found in therapy-related AML than in de novo AML (3/258 t-AML, and 4/3287 de novo, p=0.0003). Cytomorphologically, AML with t(8;16) is characterized by striking features: In all 7 cases the positivity for myeloperoxidase on bone marrow smears was >70% and intriguingly, in parallel >80% of blast cells stained strongly positive for non-specific esterase (NSE) in all cases. Thus, these cases can not be classified according to FAB categories. These data suggest that AML-t(8;16) arise from a very early stem cell with both myeloid and monoblastic potential. Furthermore, we detected erythrophagocytosis in 6/7 cases that was described as specific feature in AML with t(8;16). Four pts. had chromosomal aberrations in addition to t(8;16), 3 of these were t-AML all showing aberrations of 7q. Survival was poor with 0, 1, 1, 2, 20 and 18+ (after alloBMT) mo., one lost to follow-up, respectively. We then analyzed gene expression patterns in 4 cases (Affymetrix U133A+B). First we compared t(8;16) AML with 46 AML FAB M1, 41 M4, 9 M5a, and 16 M5b, all with normal karyotype. Hierachical clustering and principal component analyses (PCA) revealed that t(8;16) AML were intercalating with FAB M4 and M5b and did not cluster near to M1. Thus, monocytic characteristics influence the gene expression pattern stronger than myeloid. Next we compared the t(8;16) AML with the 4 other balanced subtypes according to the WHO classification (t(15;17): 43; t(8;21): 40; inv(16): 49; 11q23/MLL-rearrangements: 50). Using support vector machines the overall accuracy for correct subgroup assignment was 97.3% (10-fold CV), and 96.8% (2/3 training and 1/3 test set, 100 runs). In PCA and hierarchical cluster analysis the t(8;16) were grouped in the vicinity of the 11q23 cases. However, in a pairwise comparison these two subgroups could be discriminated with an accuracy of 94.4% (10-fold CV). Genes with a specific expression in AML-t(8;16) were further investigated in pathway analyses (Ingenuity). 15 of the top 100 genes associated with AML-t(8;16) were involved in the CMYC-pathway with up regulation of BCOR, COXB5, CDK10, FLI1, HNRPA2B1, NSEP1, PDIP38, RAD50, SUPT5H, TLR2 and USP33, and down regulation of ERG, GATA2, NCOR2 and RPS20. CEBP beta, known to play a role in myelomonocytic differentiation, was also up-regulated in t(8;16)-AML. Ten additional genes out of the 100 top differentially expressed genes were also involved in this pathway with up-regulation of DDB2, HIST1H3D, NSAP1, PTPNS1, RAN, USP4, TRIM8, ZNF278 and down regulation of KIT and MBD2. In conclusion, AML with t(8;16) is a specific subtype of AML with unique characteristics in morphology and gene expression patterns. It is more frequently found in t-AML, outcome is inferior in comparison to other AML with balanced translocations. Due to its unique features, it is a candidate for inclusion into the WHO classification as a specific entity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (12) ◽  
pp. 1530-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenwu Ye ◽  
Xiaoli Wang ◽  
Kai Tao ◽  
Yuping Lu ◽  
Tingting Dai ◽  
...  

The transcriptome of the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora sojae was profiled at ten different developmental and infection stages based on a 3′-tag digital gene-expression protocol. More than 90 million clean sequence tags were generated and compared with the P. sojae genome and its 19,027 predicted genes. A total of 14,969 genes were detected, of which 10,044 were deemed reliable because they mapped to unambiguous tags. A comparison of the whole-library genes' expression patterns suggested four groups: i) mycelia and zoosporangia, ii) zoospores and cysts, iii) germinating cysts, and iv) five infection site libraries (IF1.5 to IF24h). The libraries from the different groups showed major transitional shifts in gene expression. From the ten libraries, 722 gene expression–pattern clusters were obtained and the top 16 clusters, containing more than half of the genes, comprised enriched genes with different functions including protein localization, triphosphate metabolism, signaling process, and noncoding RNA metabolism. An evaluation of the average expression level of 30 pathogenesis-related gene families revealed that most were infection induced but with diverse expression patterns and levels. A web-based server named the Phytophthora Transcriptional Database has been established.


2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Peng ◽  
Huiqin Ma ◽  
Shangwu Chen

Lycium ruthenicum Murr., which belongs to the family Solanaceae, is a resource plant for Chinese traditional medicine and nutraceutical foods. In this study, RNA sequencing was applied to obtain raw reads of L. ruthenicum fruit at different stages of ripening, and a de novo assembly of its sequence was performed. Approximately 52.45 million 100-bp paired-end raw reads were generated from the samples by deep RNA-seq analysis. These short reads were assembled to obtain 164814 contigs, and the contigs were assembled into 84968 non-redundant unigenes using the Trinity method. Assembled sequences were annotated with gene descriptions, gene ontology, clusters of orthologous group and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes)pathway terms. Digital gene expression analysis was applied to compare gene-expression patterns at different fruit developmental stages. These results contribute to existing sequence resources for Lycium spp. during the fruit-ripening stages, which is valuable for further functional studies of genes involved in L. ruthenicum fruit nutraceutical quality.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahar Shohat ◽  
Eyal Ben-David ◽  
Sagiv Shifman

AbstractGenetic susceptibility to Intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) often arises from mutations in the same genes, suggesting that they share common mechanisms. We studied genes with de novo mutations in the three disorders and genes implicated by SCZ genome-wide association study (GWAS). Using biological annotations and brain gene expression, we show that mutation class explains enrichment patterns more than specific disorder. Genes with loss of function mutations and genes with missense mutations were enriched with different pathways, shared with genes intolerant to mutations. Specific gene expression patterns were found for each disorder. ID genes were preferentially expressed in fetal cortex, ASD genes also in fetal cerebellum and striatum, and genes associated with SCZ were most significantly enriched in adolescent cortex. Our study suggests that convergence across neuropsychiatric disorders stems from vulnerable pathways to genetic variations, but spatiotemporal activity of genes contributes to specific phenotypes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 179 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lopera-Vasquez ◽  
M. Hamdi ◽  
V. Maillo ◽  
C. Nunez ◽  
M. Yanez-Mo ◽  
...  

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as intercellular communicators through their protein, lipid, and mRNA content. The interaction of EVs from oviducal environment and the first stages of embryo development is currently an enigma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the developmental competence and the expression profile of bovine blastocysts cultured with previously purified EVs recovered from ampullary and isthmic oviducal fluid (OF) under different centrifugal forces. OF-EVs recovered from oviducts of slaughtered heifers in early luteal phase were quantified with a nanoparticle tracking analysis system, and their integrity and size were assessed by electron microscopy. In vitro-produced zygotes were cultured in SOF+3 mg mL–1 BSA (C–), C– with 3 × 105 OF-EVs/mL from the ampulla (A) and isthmus (I) isolated at 1 × 103 (A10k and I10k, respectively) and 1 × 105 (A100k and I100k, respectively) × g. A control culture group of SOF+5% FCS (C+) was included. Blastocyst development was recorded on Day 7, 8, and 9 (D0: day of fertilization). Blastocysts on Days 7/8 cultured in C–, C+, I10k, and I100k were used to measure the relative mRNA expression of genes related with membrane trafficking (AQP3, AQP11, and ATP1A1), metabolism (LDLR and LDHA), and epigenetics (DNMT3A, IGF2R, GRB10, and SNRPN) by RT-qPCR. One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. The size of ampullary and isthmic OF-EVs was similar with a mean of 220 nm. The concentration of I10k was significantly lower compared with A100k (3.6 × 108 v. 10.5 × 108 EVs/mL, respectively; P < 0.05); however, no differences were found in the rest of the groups with a mean concentration of 7.6 × 108 EVs/mL. EVs and C– groups showed a delayed embryo development at Day 7 compared with C+ (range: 12.0–13.8 v. 20.6%, respectively, P < 0.05); however, it was compensated at Days 8 and 9 (Day 9 range: 28.5–30.8%). The water channel related protein AQP3, associated with blastocoel formation, water, and cryoprotectant movement during cryopreservation, was up-regulated in I10k and I100k blastocysts compared with C+. The lipid receptor LDLR, proposed as a regulator of lipid uptake in blastocysts, was significantly down-regulated in C+ compared with the other groups, a possible consequence of a higher concentration of lipids in the C+ group. The de novo DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A and the imprinting gene SNRPN were down-regulated in the C+ compared with I100k, suggesting alterations in imprinting. In conclusion, bovine isthmic OF-EVs supplementation in in vitro embryo culture has a positive effect on gene expression patterns of developmental related genes compared with serum supplementation, suggesting an association between the oviducal environment and the developing embryo. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2012–37510 and AGL2012–39652-C02–01).


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