肌动蛋白相关蛋白ARP5调控气孔发育的表观遗传机制研究

气孔是叶表皮分化的一类功能性细胞类型,是植物与外界进行气体交换的主要通道,对于植物在发育过程中适应环境起到重要的作用.气孔的发育受到复杂的转录调控,然而表观遗传机制是否参与到这一过程目前仍不清楚.ARP5是一类保守的肌动蛋白相关蛋白,在酵母和人类中参与染色质重塑.拟南芥arp5缺失突变体的叶片表现出气孔增多的表型.SPCH和MUTE是正向调控气孔发育的bHLH转录因子,RT-PCR分析显示其转录水平在arp5突变体背景下特异性地上调.ARP5可以在体外特异性地结合组蛋白变异体H2A.z.此外,H2A.z而非H3在SPCH和MUTE编码区的富集依赖ARP5的功能,表明拟南芥ARP5可能通过特异性地调控H2A.z的染色质分布影响SPCH和MUTE的转录水平.     

拟南芥染色质重塑因子编码基因INO80新的可变剪切转录本

可变剪切是基因转录本调控的重要方式之一,在植物中大量存在.研究表明可变剪切存在于植物不同发育阶段以及受应答环境变化的调控.INO80是一类保守的染色质重塑因子,在表观遗传学调控中发挥着重要的作用.我们在对拟南芥INO80展开功能分析时,意外发现了一个新的可变剪切转录本,At3G57300.3.通过定量PCR发现其表达具有一定的器官特异性,在不同条件处理时其转录水平也会发生变化.At3G57300.3编码了含有918个氨基酸的截短蛋白,在体外能够与H2A.Z-H2B结合,但缺乏完整的ATPase结构域,因而可能发挥着与全长蛋白不同的功能.     

AhHDA1异源表达影响拟南芥植株干旱性

将花生组蛋白去乙酰化酶1基因(Arachis hygogaea histone deacetylase 1,AhHDA1)转化拟南芥野生型Col-0和突变体had6,对获得的纯合转基因植株进行抗旱性分析,并对ABA合成及相关响应基因表达进行检测.结果表明:AhHDA1蛋白定位于细胞核,在干旱条件下,与hda6突变体比较,p35S%HDA1/hda6拟南芥植株的叶片相对含水量降低,气孔开度增大,干旱存活率降低,基本回复了Col的表型;体内ABA合成关键酶基因At NCED3和ABA信号途径重要转录因子At ABF3基因的表达降低,但RD29A基因表达提高.而p35S%HDA1/Col较p35S%HDA1/hda6和Col的抗旱性关键生理指标降低更加显著.说明hda6突变体表型回复确实由于外源AhHDA1的表达引起的,推测AhHDA1影响植物抗旱性与ABA的合成与信号通路相关.     

LF通过抑制FLC促进拟南芥开花的初步研究

花芽分化的起始会促使高等植物经历营养生长向生殖生长的转变,该过程受到外部环境和内在调控因子的双重影响.目前,通过对拟南芥花期突变体中一些关键开花整合基因表达量的分析,可为高等植物开花调控研究提供有效参考.实验以拟南芥晚花突变体lf及其超表达材料35S::LF为研究对象,针对长短日照光周期及春化处理的植株花期变化,采用Q-PCR技术分析FLC基因转录水平.结果显示:相比于野生型,lf突变体开花延迟,FLC表达量上调,其超表达材料35S::LF花期提前,FLC表达量明显降低. 3周春化处理后,lf突变体花期提前,FLC下调40%.基于以上结果可初步确定LF作为正调控基因通过抑制FLC且偶联春化途径参与了拟南芥开花.     

拟南芥组蛋白甲基转移酶SDG8参与干旱胁迫调控（英文）

植物在生长发育和适应外界干旱胁迫过程中组蛋白的共价修饰发生着动态变化.然而,参与干旱胁迫的组蛋白修饰酶目前知之甚少.我们发现,拟南芥中负责H3第36位赖氨酸二甲基化和三甲基化的甲基转移酶SDG8参与干旱胁迫过程.转录组分析表明SDG8突变导致一系列基因的转录水平发生变化,其中包括与盐、冷、干旱胁迫有关的基因.功能缺失的SDG8呈现出更快的蒸腾作用、较大的气孔直径、对ABA处理的敏感性降低以及对干旱胁迫的耐受性降低等表型.总之,我们的研究表明SDG8可能是参与干旱胁迫过程的一个新的关键因子.     

一株拟南芥晚花突变体的分子分析

植物的开花时间直接控制植物营养生长期和生育期的长短,在相当程度上决定着繁育的成功与否,也与植物的产量和质量性状密切相关.拟南芥花期改变突变体是植物开花调控机制研究重要的植物材料.研究利用前期研究中获得的一株稳定遗传的、晚花表型的T-DNA插入拟南芥突变体pex2为材料,对其进行开花相关表型分析、T-DNA插入位点鉴定及插入位点基因转录分析等研究,结果表明:pex2突变体中存在单一的T-DNA插入,该插入位点位于PEX2基因下游约1 800 bp处,且该位点的插入引起了PEX2全长转录产物的缺失.该研究为进一步探索pex2突变体晚花机制及拟南芥PEX2基因与晚花表型之间的相关性研究,提供了研究材料.     

拟南芥中MRG2与BAF60相互作用的研究

拟南芥MRG2(Morf Related Genes 2)是MRG蛋白家族成员之一,可以识别组蛋白H3K4和H3K36甲基化修饰,但是对于它是否具有其他生物学功能,目前了解还非常有限.我们首先通过免疫共沉淀结合质谱分析获得了MRG2结合蛋白,并对其中一个染色质重塑SWI/SNF复合体亚基BAF60蛋白进行了深入研究.体外Pull-down和双荧光互补实验证实了MRG2和BAF60在植物体内体外都能相互作用.已有研究表明:BAF60抑制异戊烯转移酶IPT(ISOPENTENYL TRANSFERASE)基因转录.RNA-seq和RT-qPCR数据都表明在mrg1mrg2双突变拟南芥植株中多个IPT基因转录水平明显升高.ChIP实验结果证明MRG2蛋白富集于IPT3基因编码区.综上所述,在植物细胞中MRG2和BAF60蛋白相互作用共同调控了IPT3基因的转录.这些研究对于理解MRG2在基因表达调控方面的功能具有重要意义.     

叶绿体信号参与了拟南芥干旱胁迫响应

研究了50 μmol/L除草剂norflurazon (NF) 对自然干旱胁迫下拟南芥野生型植株和叶绿体信号突变体gun1和gun5的生理参数和一些抗性基因转录水平的影响.干旱胁迫与除草剂协同处理10 d时,叶片出现白化和萎蔫;叶片含水量明显下降;丙二醛含量大幅度升高;活性氧积累明显加重;Lhcb基因表达下调;POD,APX,GPX和Rd29a基因的转录水平显著上调.突变体gun1和gun5叶片白化比野生型严重;突变体生理指标的变化幅度比野生型大;突变体基因表达的变化幅度很小（甚至没有变化）,远小于野生型.这些结果表明,叶绿体信号的关键分子GUN1和GUN5蛋白可能参与了干旱信号传导和适应机制,尤其是GUN1蛋白的作用更为明显,暗示叶绿体信号转导途径可能与植物抗逆过程有交叉.     

拟南芥At5g66070基因在ABA处理下的初步研究

本研究以拟南芥为实验材料,探索基因At5g66070在植物激素ABA处理条件下的相关生理功能.结果表明,在10μMABA处理下,该基因的表达量明显升高,表明该基因受到ABA的诱导.亚细胞定位发现AT5G66070定位在细胞核.通过DNA及RNA水平筛选鉴定At5g66070基因T-DNA插入纯合突变体,然后经根瘤农杆菌介导法进行遗传转化,筛选获得过表达转基因株系.表型分析发现经ABA处理后,突变体相对于野生型而言根长较短,表明突变体对ABA更为敏感.气孔关闭实验发现10μM ABA能诱导突变体气孔关闭,而野生型和过表达无显著影响.以上结果表明At5g66070在拟南芥的ABA胁迫响应中起负调控作用.     

Termination of asymmetric cell division and differentiation of stomata

Stomata consist of a pair of guard cells that mediate gas and water-vapour exchange between plants and the atmosphere. Stomatal precursor cells-meristemoids-possess a transient stem-cell-like property and undergo several rounds of asymmetric divisions before further differentiation. Here we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein MUTE is a key switch for meristemoid fate transition. In the absence of MUTE, meristemoids abort after excessive asymmetric divisions and fail to differentiate stomata. Constitutive overexpression of MUTE directs the entire epidermis to adopt guard cell identity. MUTE has two paralogues: FAMA, a regulator of guard cell morphogenesis, and SPEECHLESS (SPCH). We show that SPCH directs the first asymmetric division that initiates stomatal lineage. Together, SPCH, MUTE and FAMA bHLH proteins control stomatal development at three consecutive steps: initiation, meristemoid differentiation and guard cell morphogenesis. Our findings highlight the roles of closely related bHLHs in cell type differentiation in plants and animals.     

Chromatin remodelling at a DNA double-strand break site in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for maintaining genome stability. Eukaryotic cells repair DSBs by both non-homologous end joining and homologous recombination. How chromatin structure is altered in response to DSBs and how such alterations influence DSB repair processes are important issues. In vertebrates, phosphorylation of the histone variant H2A.X occurs rapidly after DSB formation, spreads over megabase chromatin domains, and is required for stable accumulation of repair proteins at damage foci. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, phosphorylation of the two principal H2A species is also signalled by DSB formation, which spreads approximately 40 kb in either direction from the DSB. Here we show that near a DSB phosphorylation of H2A is followed by loss of histones H2B and H3 and increased sensitivity of chromatin to digestion by micrococcal nuclease; however, phosphorylation of H2A and nucleosome loss occur independently. The DNA damage sensor MRX is required for histone loss, which also depends on INO80, a nucleosome remodelling complex. The repair protein Rad51 (ref. 6) shows delayed recruitment to DSBs in the absence of histone loss, suggesting that MRX-dependent nucleosome remodelling regulates the accessibility of factors directly involved in DNA repair by homologous recombination. Thus, MRX may regulate two pathways of chromatin changes: nucleosome displacement for efficient recruitment of homologous recombination proteins; and phosphorylation of H2A, which modulates checkpoint responses to DNA damage.     

F-box基因FOF2在拟南芥盐和冷胁迫响应中的功能分析

FOF2为F-box蛋白家族成员,其生物学功能尚不清楚.采用实时荧光定量PCR和生理学实验相结合的方法,对FOF2基因的表达模式及其在拟南芥抗盐和冷胁迫响应中的作用进行了分析.研究发现,FOF2在拟南芥根、茎生叶和果荚中表达较高,并且其表达受盐和冷胁迫诱导.FOF2过表达株系对盐胁迫敏感,与野生型相比种子萌发率低、幼苗主根较短;相反,fof2突变体对盐胁迫的敏感性则减弱.FOF2过表达和缺失突变体种子萌发对冷胁迫无响应,但其主根在冷处理中分别比野生型短或者长.盐处理下,FOF2过表达株系中盐胁迫反应相关基因的表达量显著降低,fof2突变体中则升高;冷处理下,FOF2过表达株系中冷胁迫反应相关基因的表达量显著升高,fof2突变体中则降低.结果表明,FOF2在植物抗盐胁迫响应中起负调控作用,在抗冷胁迫响应中则可能起正调控作用.     

Characterization of Arabidopsis calreticulin mutants in response to calcium and salinity stresses

As an important calcium-binding protein, calreticulin plays an important role in regulating calcium homeostasis in endoplasmic reticulum （ER） of plants. Here, we identified three loss-of-function mutants of calreticulin genes in Arabidopsis to demonstrate the function of calreticulin in response to calcium and salinity stresses. There are three genes encoding calreticulin in Arabidopsis, and they are named AtCRT1, 2, and 3, respectively. We found that both single mutant of crt3 and double mutant of crtl crt2 were more sensitive to low calcium environment than wild-type Arabidopsis. Moreover, crt3 mutant showed more sensitivity to salt treatment at germination stage, but tolerance to salt stress at later stage compared with wild-type plant. However, there was no obvious growth difference in the mutant crtl and crt2 compared with wild-type Arabidopsis under calcium and salt stresses. These results suggest that calreticulin functions in plant responses to calcium and salt stresses.