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Arabidopsis Research Roundup: December 18th

Categories: Aberystwyth University, Global, John Innes Centre, Kew Gardens, Nottingham University, Oxford University, SLCU, University of Oxford

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Published on: December 18, 2017

This festive Arabidopsis Research Roundup begins with a commentary article from a global consortium of plant scientists who propose a framework of future training for researchers who will take advantage of the experimental tools available in Arabidopsis. Secondly is study from Caroline Dean (JIC) that defines the role of the LHP1 protein in epigenetic control of gene expression. Thirdly John Doonan (Aberystwyth) is a co-author of work that defines an important component of mitotic spindle formation. Next is a study led by Zinnia Gonzalez-Carranza in Nottingham that offers further insights into the function of the HWS gene. The fifth study comes from the lab of Alexander Ruban (QMUL), further investigating the importance of NPQ in photosynthetic control. The sixth paper from the Van Ooijen lab (Edinburgh) characterises the role of sumoylation in the control of CCA1 activity. The penultimate paper from the Harberd lab in Oxford defines the importance of DNA mismatch repair on genome sequence integrity whilst the final paper characterises the next phase in the long story of Arabidopsis ALF4 function and includes Charles Melynk (SLCU) as a co-author.

Friesner J et al (2017) The Next Generation of Training for Arabidopsis Researchers: Bioinformatics and Quantitative Biology. Plant Physiol. doi: 10.1104/pp.17.01490. Open Access

The current GARNet PI Jim Murray and past GARNet coordinator Ruth Bastow are authors in this international consortium that suggests future directions for the global Arabidopsis community. This consortium is led by Joanna Friesner and concludes that it is critical that the next generation of plant scientists receive appropriate training in bioinformatics and quantitative biology so as to take advantage of the remarkable array of datasets that are now available to Arabidopsis researchers.

Berry S, Rosa S, Howard M, Bühler M, Dean C (2017) Disruption of an RNA-binding hinge region abolishes LHP1-mediated epigenetic repression Genes Dev. doi: 10.1101/gad.305227.117 Open Access

Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre) leads this study that investigates the role of the polycomb associated protein LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1) in the regulation of the repressive histone mark H3K27me3. They demonstrate that the intrinsically disordered hinge region of LHP1 is responsible for RNA-binding and that disruption of this region prevents the formation of sub-nuclei foci, provides a potential link to wider epigenetic regulation.

Lee YJ, Hiwatashi Y, Hotta T, Xie T, Doonan JH, Liu B (2017) The Mitotic Function of Augmin Is Dependent on Its Microtubule-Associated Protein Subunit EDE1 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Current Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.11.030

Open Access

John Doonan and colleagues at Aberystwyth University are co-authors on this study regarding the role of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Subunit EDE1, which is a member of the Augmin complex, during mitosis. EDE1 specifically localised with the augmin complex during spindle formation, a role that cannot be replaced by the homologous protein AUG8. This work reveals that specificity of the augmin complex can be determined by interaction with subunits that only contribute to complex function during particular phases of the cell cycle.

Zhang X, Jayaweera D, Peters JL, Szecsi J, Bendahmane M, Roberts JA, González-Carranza ZH (2017) The Arabidopsis thaliana F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT is a new player in the microRNA pathway. PLoS One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189788 Open Access

Zinnia Gonzalez-Carranza (Nottingham) is the corresponding author on this study that follows on from work published earlier in 2017 regarding the role of the HAWAIIAN SKIRT gene is plant development. In this latest work they identify mutations in the previously characterized Exportin-5 HASTY gene as suppressors of the hws mutant phenotype. Further investigation shows that HWS genetically interacts with other genes involved in miRNA pathway indicates that HWS somehow interacts with biogenesis, accumulation or function of these small RNAs.

Townsend AJ1, Ware MA1, Ruban AV (2017) Dynamic interplay between photodamage and photoprotection in photosystem II. Plant Cell Environ doi: 10.1111/pce.13107

In this paper Alexander Ruban (QMUL) is the corresponding author on work that expands his groups contribution to the understanding of the role non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) plays during photoinhibition. In this work they compare the activity of NPQ versus endogenous photosystemI repair mechanisms in the maintenance of photosynthetic activity during photoinhibitory conditions. Overall they conclude that NPQ is a more important mechanism for photoprotection under short periods of illumination.

Hansen LL, Imrie L, Le Bihan T, van den Burg HA, van Ooijen G (2017) Sumoylation of the Plant Clock Transcription Factor CCA1 Suppresses DNA Binding. J Biol Rhythms doi: 10.1177/0748730417737695 Open Access

This paper from the Van Ooijen lab accompanies one that was featured in last weeks ARR and extends their finding that sumoylation plays an important role in control of the circadian clock. In this paper they show that the CCA1 clock protein is sumoylated and that perturbing this modification alters the binding of CCA1 to a target promotor, even though it’s localization or stability were unaffected. Using an in vitro system they show that sumoylation is a direct determinant of CCA1 binding to its target promotor suggesting that this PTM fine tunes the activity of this key circadian control element.

Belfield EJ, Ding ZJ, Jamieson FJC, Visscher AM, Zheng SJ, Mithani A, Harberd NP (2017) DNA mismatch repair preferentially protects genes from mutation. Genome Res. doi: 10.1101/gr.219303.116

Past GARNet Advisory board member Nick Harberd (Oxford) leads this multi-generational study on the effect of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) on maintenance of an entire genome. They perform whole genome sequencing across five generations of Arabidopsis plants with a mutation in the MMR pathway and show that particular types of nucleotide error are more prevelant amongst the total 9000 mutations that accumulate. Interestingly they show that single nucleotide variants are more likely to accumulate in genic regions, indicating that protein coding areas of the genome are preferentially protected from damage.

Bagchi R, Melnyk CW, Christ G, Winkler M,, Kirchsteiner K, Salehin M, Mergner J, Niemeyer M, Schwechheimer C, Calderón Villalobos LIA, Estelle M (2017) The Arabidopsis ALF4 protein is a regulator of SCF E3 ligases. EMBO J. doi: 10.15252/embj.201797159

During his time as a research fellow at the Sainsbury lab in Cambridge. Charles Melynk contributed to this research that is a throwback to the early day of Arabidopsis mutant analysis. The alf4 was first described as a possible auxin mutant in 1995 and this work brings this study full circle by characterising the ALF4 protein as a novel regulator of SCF complexes, which are known to be involved in auxin and GA signaling. ALF4 specifically functions by interacting with the SCF-core component RBX1. Future work will determine whether this effect is specific to SCFs involved in hormone signaling or whether it is a more general effect.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: December 8th.

by Geraint

Categories: Brassica, Cambridge University, Edinburgh University, Global, James Hutton Institute, John Innes Centre, Nottingham University, QMUL, SLCU, University of Birmingham, University of Oxford, University of York

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Published on: December 8, 2017

This weeks Research Roundup begins with two papers from the University of Edinburgh on very different topics of Arabidopsis research. Firstly Alistair McCormick and Sofirtios Tsaftaris introduce a new low-cost phenotyping platform whilst Gerben Ooijen’s group has analysed the role of SUMOylation in the control of the circadian clock. The next three papers each involve wide UK collaborations and either look at plant nutrient composition (Nottingham, Dundee, York), the role of N-end rule pathway in the control of seed storage mobilisation (Rothamsted, Nottingham, Oxford, Birmingham, Cambridge) or the development of a new tool for the study of phloem sieve elements (Leeds, Rothamsted, Cambridge, Newcastle). The penultimate paper from Daniel Zilbermann (JIC) highlights the global mechanisms of methyltransferase function in Arabidopsis and mice whilst the final paper from Alexandre Ruban (QMUL) and co-authors continues his groups work to unpick the specifics of NPQ.

Dobrescu A, Scorza LCT, Tsaftaris SA, McCormick AJ (2017) A “Do-It-Yourself” phenotyping system: measuring growth and morphology throughout the diel cycle in rosette shaped plants. Plant Methods. doi: 10.1186/s13007-017-0247-6

Open Access

University of Edinburgh colleagues Alistair McCormick and Sofirtios Tsaftaris lead this work that presents a low cost phenotyping system for the analysis of the growth rate and phenotypic characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana rosettes. The software that they have developed allows the accurate segmentation of multiple rosettes within a single image and overall offers a straightforward solution for automated phenotyping across a range of growth environments.

Hansen LL, van den Burg HA, van Ooijen G (2017) Sumoylation Contributes to Timekeeping and Temperature Compensation of the Plant Circadian Clock. J Biol Rhythms. doi: 10.1177/0748730417737633

Gerben van Ooijen (University of Edinburgh) is the corresponding author of this work that has identified SUMOylation as a novel mechanism of regulating circadian clock genes in Arabidopsis. Plants with defects in sumoylation have altered circadian periods that exhibit incorrect temperature compensation. Overall these results indicate that sumoylation importantly buffers clock function in response to changing temperatures.

Alcock TD, Havlickova L, He Z, Bancroft I, White PJ, Broadley MR, Graham NS (2017) Identification of Candidate Genes for Calcium and Magnesium Accumulation in Brassica napus L. by Association Genetics. Front Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01968

Open Access

Neil Graham and Martin Broadley (University of Nottingham) are the corresponding authors of this study that has taken advantage of the Brassica napus Associative Transcriptomes RIPR diversity panel developed by Ian Bancroft’s lab in York. Novel loci involved with an altered response to calcium and magnesium were identified in B.napus before mineral composition was analysed in Arabidopsis mutants defective in orthologous genes. The analysed plants exhibited alteration in mineral composition, meaning that the associated Brassica loci might be targets for future breeding strategies aimed at improving plant nutrient compositions.

Zhang H, Gannon L, Hassall KL, Deery MJ, Gibbs DJ, Holdsworth MJ, van der Hoorn RAL, Lilley KS, Theodoulou FL (2017) N-terminomics reveals control of Arabidopsis seed storage proteins and proteases by the Arg/N-end rule pathway. New Phytol. doi: 10.1111/nph.14909

Freddie Theodoulou (Rothamsted Research) is the corresponding author of this research that involved a collaboration with colleagues in Cambridge, Birmingham, Nottingham and Oxford. They have performed a proteomic analysis on etiolated seedlings to identify those proteins designated for degradation by the N-end rule pathway. They analysed prt6 mutant plants that lack the function of the E3 ligase PROTEOLYSIS6 (PRT6) and discovered that N-terminal peptides from 45 protein groups were upregulated in this mutant, corresponding to the equivalent downregulation of several known N-end rule proteases. Overall the authors show that PRT6 plays an important role in the regulation of seed storage mobilisation in young seedlings and is therefore a possible future target to manipulate the plant responses to adverse environmental conditions. Dr Kirsty Hassall, a statistician at Rothamsted, is an author on this paper and in the latest edition of the GARNish newsletter explains how she interacts with plant scientists during her work.

Torode TA, O’Neill RE, Marcus SE, Cornuault V, Pose-Albacete S, Lauder RP, Kracun SK, Gro Rydahl M, Andersen MCF, Willats WGT, Braybrook SA, Townsend BJ, Clausen MH, Knox JP (2017) Branched pectic galactan in phloem-sieve-element cell walls: implications for cell mechanics. Plant Physiol. doi: 10.1104/pp.17.01568 Open Access

Paul Knox (University of Leeds) is the corresponding author of this study that includes contributions from researchers at SLCU, Newcastle and Rothamsted. This work is based around the development of a monoclonal antibody, LM26 that is able to recognize a β-1,6-galactosyl substitution of β-1,4-galactan. LM26 has allowed the identification of this unusual branched galactan that is specific to phloem elements and the authors hope that it can be a useful tool in future studies on the biology of phloem elements

Lyons DB, Zilberman D (2017) DDM1 and Lsh remodelers allow methylation of DNA wrapped in nucleosomes. Elife. doi: 10.7554/eLife.30674 Open Access

Daniel Zilberman has recently moved to the John Innes Centre and is the lead author of this work that was conducted when he was working in US. This research is a cross-kingdom analysis showing that nucleosome-free DNA is the preferred target for methyltransferases in both Arabidopsis and mice, and that nucleosomes appear to be a barrier to the function of these enzymes. Furthermore they demonstrate that linker-specific methylation that is usually absent in Arabidopsis can be introduced by removal of histone H1. This shows that flowering plants still possess this ability despite its loss, during the evolution of H1, over a billion years ago.

Tutkus M, Chmeliov J, Rutkauskas D, Ruban AV, Valkunas L (2017) Influence of the Carotenoid Composition on the Conformational Dynamics of Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Complexes. J Phys Chem Lett. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02634

Alexandre Ruban (QMUL) is a co-author on this study that investigates the role that carotenoid composition plays in the control of Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), a mechanism that protects the photosynthetic apparatus from light-damage. Arabidopsis mutants with differing carotenoid compositions were analysed for the dynamics of the conformation switches that occur during NPQ. Interestingly they show that LHCII has robust function that is resistant to different carotenoid concentrations.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: Nov 24th

by Geraint

Categories: Essex University, Glasgow University, Global, John Innes Centre, Nottingham University, SLCU, University of Bristol, University of Essex, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton

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Published on: November 24, 2017

The week’s UK Arabidopsis research roundup includes seven papers from groups who work on a range of topics.

Firstly Antony Dodd (Bristol) investigates the role of sugar signaling during hypocotyl elongation and provides an audio description of this groups work. Secondly Mike Holdsworth (Nottingham) leads a paper that demonstrates the importance of the N-rule pathway in the response to abiotic stresses. Thirdly are a set of papers that have developed models on three different topics. Mike Blatt’s group at Glasgow University has a cross-scale model that is applied to stomatal opening whilst Stan Maree and Veronica Griensien (JIC) use modeling to predict how the topology of pavement cells is determined. Finally Arabidopsis is used as an example that fits a model that investigates how critical mutation rate (CMR) changes with population size. In the sixth paper Lorraine Williams and colleagues (University of Southampton) investigate the function of a rice transport protein involved in manganese tolerance by expressing it in Arabidopsis. The final paper from Jerzy Paszkowski (SLCU) outlines a novel screening strategy for retrotransposons and the identification of an ecotype specific element.

Simon NM, Kusakina J, Fernández-López Á, Chembath A, Belbin FE, Dodd AN (2017) The energy-signalling hub SnRK1 is important for sucrose-induced hypocotyl elongation. Plant Physiol. doi: 10.1104/pp.17.01395

Open Access

This UK-wide collaboration is led by Anthony Dodd at the University of Bristol and has looked at the factors that control hypocotyl elongation in response to sugar signalling. This response is integrated through the sugar-signalling hub, SnRK1 and is regulated by trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P). They also integrate hormone signalling and the influence of diurnal rhythms into the control of this process, importantly showing that the ubiquitous sugar regulator hexokinase is not involved in this process.

Antony kindly provides an audio description of this research that can be found on YouTube or on the GARNet iTunes channel. Please subscribe!

Vicente J, Mendiondo GM, Movahedi M, Peirats-Llobet M, Juan YT, Shen YY, Dambire C, Smart K, Rodriguez PL, Charng YY, Gray JE, Holdsworth MJ (2017) The Cys-Arg/N-End Rule Pathway Is a General Sensor of Abiotic Stress in Flowering Plants. Current Biology doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.006

Open Access

Mike Holdsworth (University of Nottingham) is the corresponding author of this collaboration with colleagues from Sheffield, Spain and Taiwan that investigates how the N-rule degradation pathway acts a sensor of general abiotic stress in both Arabidopsis and Barley. These responses are integrated through degradation of the group VII Ethylene Response Factor transcription factors (ERFVIIs) family via direct and indirect pathways. In addition they link ERFVII activity with chromatin-remodeling ATPase BRAHMA providing evidence for a single mechanism that links the responses to a number of environmental signals.

Wang Y, Hills A, Vialet-Chabrand SR, Papanatsiou M, Griffiths H, Rogers S, Lawson T, Lew V, Blatt MR (2017) Unexpected Connections between Humidity and Ion Transport Discovered using a Model to Bridge Guard Cell-to-Leaf Scales. Plant Cell. doi: 10.1105/tpc.17.00694

Open Access

Mike Blatt (University of Glasgow) leads this collaboration with researchers at the Universities of Cambridge and Essex. They have developed the OnGuard2 quantitative systems platform that integrates numerous parameters that control guard cell dynamics across many scales including at molecular, cellular, tissue and canopy levels. They experimentally demonstrate that OnGuard2 faithfully reproduces the kinetics of real stomatal movement and therefore that this modeling is able to bridge the micro-macro divide.

Carter R, Sánchez-Corrales YE, Hartley M, Grieneisen VA, Marée AFM (2017) Pavement cells and the topology puzzle. Development. doi: 10.1242/dev.157073

Stan Maree and Veronica Griensien (John Innes Centre) lead this study that has looked at the patterning of 50000 Arabidopsis pavement cells to understand the topological signatures that exist in this population. They have developed a heuristic cellular division rule to produce a model that can reproduce their observations by predicting how these cells divide. They confirmed their model by tracking 800 mitotic events, allowing them to conclude that distinct topology is not a direct consequence of the jigsaw-like shape of the cells, but rather owes itself to life-history-driven process, with limited impact from cell surface mechanics.

Aston E, Channon A, Belavkin RV, Gifford DR, Krašovec R, Knight CG (2017) Critical Mutation Rate has an Exponential Dependence on Population Size for Eukaryotic-length Genomes with Crossover. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-14628-x

Open Access

In this study a team of computational biologists from Keele, Middlesex and Manchester have used Arabidopsis as an exemplar to understand how critical mutation rate (CMR) provides insights into the shift between survival-of-the-fittest and survival of individuals with greater mutational robustness. They have produced a simulation for these parameters that predicts outcomes for a range of biological organisms, showing that CMR decreases with reduced population size. They suggest that the model can be used to understand the conservation strategies exhibited in populations that are approaching extinction.

Farthing EC, Menguer PK, Fett JP, Williams LE (2017) OsMTP11 is localised at the Golgi and contributes to Mn tolerance. Sci Rep. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-15324-6
Lorraine Williams (University of Southampton) and her colleagues have identified a transporter protein from rice, OsMTP11 that is involved in mangenase tolerance. They show that heterologous expression of this protein is able to rescue the manganese sensitive phenotype of Arabidopsis mtp11-3 knockouts. They show that OsMTP11 localises to the Golgi and have also conducted site directed mutagenesis to identify key residues that are important for the function of this protein.

Griffiths J, Catoni M, Iwasaki M, Paszkowski J (2017) Sequence-independent identification of active LTR retrotransposons in Arabidopsis. Mol Plant. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2017.10.012

Open Access

Jerzy Paszkowski (SLCU) leads this single-figure short manuscript that has characterised the population of retrotransposons in Arabidopsis. They develop a novel cost-effective screening strategy that allows them to identify sequences found on extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), which includes a retroelement found in Lansberg erecta but not in the reference genome ecotype Col-0.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: November 1st.

by Geraint

Categories: Global, SLCU, Uncategorized, University of Bath, University of Leeds, Warwick University

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Published on: November 1, 2017

This weeks Research Roundup includes three research and two methods papers. Firstly is work from the O’Connor and Leyser groups at SLCU that investigates the diversity of function in PIN auxin transporters between monocots and dicots. Secondly research from the Kover lab at the University of Bath has characterised the photosynthetic contribution of the inflorescence stem whilst the third paper is from the Bill Finch-Savage at the University of Warwick and looks at the effect of temperature on seed dormancy. Finally are two methods paper from the University of Warwick and Leeds that introduce protocols for the imaging of either the endoplasmic reticulum or the ultrastructure of pollen tubes.

O’Connor DL, Elton S, Ticchiarelli F, Hsia MM, Vogel JP, Leyser O (2017) Cross-species functional diversity within the PIN auxin efflux protein family. Elife. doi: 10.7554/eLife.31804

Open Access

Devin O’Connor and Ottoline Leyser (SLCU) lead this research that bridges the divide between a model dicot (Arabidopsis) and a model monocot (Brachypodium)as they investigate mechanisms of auxin transport, focussed on the PIN protein family. Arabidopsis lacks a clade of PIN proteins (termed Sister-of-PIN1 (SoPIN1) that are found in other plant species. They show that Brachypodium sopin1 mutants have inflorescence defects similar to Arabidopsis pin1 mutants, a similarity of function that is confirmed by the ability of soPIN1 to rescue the phenotype of null Atpin1 plants. However Brachy PIN1 is only able to rescue a less severe Atpin1 mutant. Overall they demonstrate that PIN1 functional specificity is determined by membrane and tissue-level accumulation and transport activity. As this paper is published in Elife, the journal provides reviewer comments and in this case they show that this manuscript was initially rejected. However the authors persisted and provided a reworked manuscript that convincing the reviewers that this study was appropriate for publication in Elife. An excellent lesson in persistence!

Gnan S, Marsh T, Kover PX (2017) Inflorescence photosynthetic contribution to fitness releases Arabidopsis thaliana plants from trade-off constraints on early flowering PLoS One doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185835

Open Access

In this study from Paula Kover’s lab at the University of Bath they investigate how the photosynthetic capacity of the Arabidopsis influoresence influences the time of flowering in a range of accessions. Interestingly after plants had flowering the authors removed rosette leaves to assess the ability of the influoresence to support future plant growth. Surprisingly there was a wide variation in general fitness following leaf removal, ranging from a growth reduction of 65% to no observed loss in fitness. These changes are due to both the differencies in the flowering time and in the number of lateral branches. This can explain how early flowering accessions can maintain fitness despite reduced vegetative growth.

Huang Z, Footitt S, Tang A, Finch-Savage WE (2017) Predicted global warming scenarios impact on the mother plant to alter seed dormancy and germination behavior in Arabidopsis Plant Cell Environ. doi: 10.1111/pce.13082

William Finch-Savage (University of Warwick) leads this investigation into the effect of temperature on seed development and dormancy. They used specially designed polyethylene tunnels that allowed in vivo variations in temperature and light conditions. Perhaps unsurprisingly they showed that temperature plays a significant role in future seed development with lower temperatures promoting dormancy but higher temperatures reduced dormancy that subsequently alters the timing of future life cycles, which has consequences for the species fitness.

Dzimitrowicz N, Breeze E, Frigerio L (2018) Long-Term Imaging of Endoplasmic Reticulum Morphology in Embryos During Seed Germination. Methods Mol Biol. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7389-7_6

Lorenzo Frigerio (University of Warwick) leads this methods paper that describes the imaging of the endoplasmic reticulum over long periods during seed germination.

Ndinyanka Fabrice T, Kaech A, Barmettler G, Eichenberger C, Knox JP, Grossniklaus U, Ringli C (2017) Efficient preparation of Arabidopsis pollen tubes for ultrastructural analysis using chemical and cryo-fixation. BMC Plant Biol. doi: 10.1186/s12870-017-1136-x

Paul Knox (University of Leeds) is a co-author on this methods paper that outlines the necessary steps for efficient preparation of pollen tubes for subsequent ultrastructural analysis.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: October 23rd

by Geraint

Categories: Cambridge University, CPIB, Exeter University, Global, Nottingham University, Oxford Brookes University, SLCU, Uncategorized, University of Sheffield

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Published on: October 23, 2017

Different aspects of plant cell wall biology dominant the first few papers of this weeks Arabidopsis Research Roundup. Firstly Andrew Fleming (University of Sheffield) and colleagues identify that a specific type of cell wall stiffening is important in control of stomatal opening. Secondly are two papers from the lab of Paul Dupree (University of Cambridge) that investigate the role that xylan modifications play in the formation of the cell wall. Finally in this broad area John Runions (Oxford Brookes) and colleagues show that attachment to the cell wall is critical for correct function of the dynamic actin filament network. Elsewhere Jerry Roberts (CPIB) leads a study that looks at proteins that control floral development. Next the group of Alexander Jones at SLCU has developed an exciting new tool that allows for in vivo visualization of the plant hormone GA. Finally the lab of Phil Wigge (also at SLCU) further expands their work that dissects the signaling pathways that controlling the response to temperature.

Carter R, Woolfenden H, Baillie A, Amsbury S, Carroll S, Healicon E, Sovatzoglou S, Braybrook S, Gray JE, Hobbs J, Morris RJ, Fleming AJ (2017) Stomatal Opening Involves Polar, Not Radial, Stiffening Of Guard Cells. Curr Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.006 Open Access

This broad UK collaboration is led by Andrew Fleming at the University of Sheffield and looks into the factors that control stiffening of cell walls in stomatal guard cells. They use Atomic Force Microscopy to show that stiffening of the polar regions of guard cell walls pins down these ends of cells during stomatal opening. This study provides exciting new insights into the importance of cell wall dynamics on stomatal opening and likely has significant agronomic importance.

Grantham NJ, Wurman-Rodrich J, Terrett OM, Lyczakowski JJ, Stott K, Iuga D, Simmons TJ, Durand-Tardif M, Brown SP, Dupree R, Busse-Wicher M, Dupree P (2017) An even pattern of xylan substitution is critical for interaction with cellulose in plant cell walls. Nat Plants doi: 10.1038/s41477-017-0030-8

Lyczakowski JJ,,, Wicher KB,, Terrett OM, Faria-Blanc N, Yu X, Brown D,, Krogh KBRM, Dupree P,,, Busse-Wicher M (2017) Removal of glucuronic acid from xylan is a strategy to improve the conversion of plant biomass to sugars for bioenergy. Biotechnol Biofuels. doi: 10.1186/s13068-017-0902-1

Open Access

Paul Dupree (University of Cambridge) is involved in two papers that investigate the chemical decorations that adorn components of the plant cell wall. In the first paper they demonstrate that the incorrect addition of acetyl esters onto xylan prevents the formation of the secondary cell wall due to a reduced interaction between xylan and cellulose microfibrils. They undertake a genetic study to show that the ESKIMO1/XOAT1/TBL29, a xylan-specific O-acetyltransferase is responsive for correct attachment of acetyl esters to xylan.

In the second paper they show that a reduction in the attachment of the acetyl ester glucuronic acid to xylan allows increased isolation of ethanol following saccharification. This has enormous potential significance in ongoing attempts to generate lignocellulose biomass that is more amenable to conversion into potential biofuels.

Tolmie F, Poulet A, McKenna J, Sassmann S, Graumann K, Deeks M, Runions J (2017) The cell wall of Arabidopsis thaliana influences actin network dynamics. J Exp Bot. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erx269.
This collaboration between Oxford Brookes and Exeter Universities looks in details at the Arabidopsis actin filament network using a set of novel imaging tools. In addition they show that the network is distributed when the link to the cell wall is disrupted. As might be expected this also effects the function of the network as evidenced by changes in Golgi body motility.

González-Carranza ZH, Zhang X, Peters JL, Boltz V, Szecsi J, Bendahmane M, Roberts JA (2017) HAWAIIAN SKIRT controls size and floral organ number by modulating CUC1 and CUC2 expression. PLoS One.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185106 Open Access

Jerry Roberts (CPIB, Nottingham) leads a collaboration with Dutch and French colleagues to investigate the role of the F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT in control of flower development. This protein acts by interacting with the CUC-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1) and CUC2 transcription factors to restrict petal size by altering cell proliferation and mitotic growth.

Rizza A, Walia A, Lanquar V, Frommer WB, Jones AM (2017) In vivo gibberellin gradients visualized in rapidly elongating tissues. Nat Plants. doi: 10.1038/s41477-017-0021-9

Free with the link: rdcu.be/wnOh

Alexander Jones (SLCU) collaborates with Wolf Frommers’ lab in Stanford to develop a novel tool to analyse the plant hormone gibberellin in planta. This optogenetic biosensor protein allowed them to show that GA levels correlate with cell length in hypocotyl and root tissues. GA levels are dependent on PIF signalling in a relationship that controls rapid tissue elongation in reponse to favourable environmental conditions. We’re pleased to announce that Alexander will be speaking at next September’s GARNet2018: A Plant Science Showcase at the University of York.

Cortijo S, Charoensawan V, Brestovitsky A, Buning R, Ravarani C, Rhodes D, van Noort J, Jaeger KE, Wigge PA (2017) Transcriptional regulation of the ambient temperature response by H2A.Z-nucleosomes and HSF1 transcription factors in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2017.08.014

Open Access

Phil Wigge (SLCU) leads this work that investigates how the temperature responsive histone variant H2A.Z interacts with heat shock transcription factors (HSFs). They find that the activity of HSFs is able to evict H2A.Z histones yet at non-inducible temperatures these heat responsive genes show an over-representation of H2A.Z-nucleosomes. They demonstrate that this relationship allows plants to be primed to rapidly response to temperature change whilst preventing leaky transcription in times of low temperature.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: October 5th

by Geraint

Categories: Cardiff University, Glasgow University, Global, John Innes Centre, Lancaster University, QMUL, SLCU, University of Leeds, Warwick University

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Published on: October 5, 2017

After a brief hiatus the UK Arabidopsis Research Roundup returns with eight papers that focus on different aspects of Arabidopsis cell biology.

Firstly GARNet PI Jim Murray leads a study that performs a genome-wide analysis of sub-nucleosomal particles whilst Phil Wigge’s lab at SLCU conducts a more focused study on G-box regulatory sequences.

Thirdly Veronica Grieneisen (JIC) and co-workers have modelled the process of boron transport in the root, revealing exciting insights into how traffic jams might form.

Fourthly is a large scale biology paper led by Miriam Gifford (University of Warwick) that looks at the temporal and spatial expression patterns that control lateral root development.

Next Alexander Ruban (QMUL) investigates how low-light acclimated plants respond to high light.

The sixth and seventh studies are led by Alison Baker (Leeds) or Bill Davies (Lancaster) and look at phosphate or hormone signaling respectively.

Finally Gareth Jenkins (University of Glasgow) compares the UV-B signaling module in lower plants with that in Arabidopsis.

Pass DA, Sornay E, Marchbank A, Crawford MR, Paszkiewicz K, Kent NA, Murray JAH (2017) Genome-wide chromatin mapping with size resolution reveals a dynamic sub-nucleosomal landscape in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genet. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006988

Open Access

GARNet PI Jim Murray is the corresponding author on this study that performs a whole-genome scan of sub-nucleosomal particles (subNSPs) that have been identified using differential micrococcal nuclease (MNase) digestion. They link the position of subNSPs with RNAseq data taken from plants grown in different light conditions. They show that this new technique is able to discriminate regulatory regions that have been obscured by previous experimental procedures and therefore represents a very useful experimental method.

Ezer D, Shepherd SJ, Brestovitsky A, Dickinson P, Cortijo S, Charoensawan V, Box MS, Biswas S, Jaeger K, Wigge PA (2017) The G-box transcriptional regulatory code in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 10.1104/pp.17.01086

Open Access

Phil Wigge (SLCU) is the corresponding author of this study that investigates the sequence elements that are linked to the conserved G-box regulatory motifs. They identify a set of bZIP and bHLH transcription factors that predict the expression of genes downstream of perfect G-boxes. In addition they have developed a website that provide visualisations of the G-box regulatory network (araboxcis.org).

Sotta N, Duncan S, Tanaka M, Takafumi S, Marée AF, Fujiwara T, Grieneisen VA (2017) Rapid transporter regulation prevents substrate flow traffic jams in boron transport. Elife. doi: 10.7554/eLife.27038

Open Access

Veronica Grieneisen (JIC) is the lead author on this detailed analysis of the regulatory circuits that are established during boron uptake in Arabidopsis roots. They used mathematical modelling to show that during boron uptake, swift regulation of transport activity is needed to prevent toxic accumulation of the metal. This system has analogy to the way in which traffic jams of nutrient flow might form and has relevance for regulatory systems outside of plant science. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170905104358.htm

Walker L, Boddington C, Jenkins D, Wang Y, Grønlund JT, Hulsmans J, Kumar S, Patel D, Moore JD, Carter A, Samavedam S, Bomono G, Hersh DS, Coruzzi GM, Burroughs NJ, Gifford ML (2017) Root architecture shaping by the environment is orchestrated by dynamic gene expression in space and time. Plant Cell. doi: 10.1105/tpc.16.00961

Open Access

Miriam Gifford (University of Warwick) leads this broad consortium that has taken a systems biology approach to better define the environmental factors that control dynamic root architecture. They track transcriptional responses during lateral root development in remarkable detail, looking at individual transcripts. They confirm the idea that the activity of a gene is not simply a function of its amino acid sequence but rather the temporal and spatial regulation of its expression.

Tian Y, Sacharz J, Ware MA, Zhang H, Ruban AV (2017) Effects of periodic photoinhibitory light exposure on physiology and productivity of Arabidopsis plants grown under low light. J Exp Bot. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erx213. Open Access

Alexander Ruban (QMUL) is the corresponding author on this collaboration with Chinese colleagues that examined the effect of high-light stress on low-light acclimated Arabidopsis plants. Initially these plants showed significant photo-inhibition but that they recovered rapidly and after 2 weeks of treatment there was no change in photosynthetic yield. In addition high light acclimated plants showed accelerated reproductive phase change that coincided with higher seed yield.

Qi W, Manfield IW, Muench SP, Baker A (2017) AtSPX1 affects the AtPHR1 -DNA binding equilibrium by binding monomeric AtPHR1 in solution. Biochem J. doi: 10.1042/BCJ20170522 Open Access

Alison Baker (University of Leeds) leads this research that focusses on the binding of the Phosphate Starvation Response 1 (PHR1) transcription factor to regulatory P1BS DNA sequences. They show a tandem P1BS sequence is bound more strongly than a single P1BS site. Ultimately they demonstrate tight regulation of phosphate signaling both by the concentration of phosphate as well as the activity of the interacting SPX protein.

Li X, Chen L, Forde BG, Davies WJ (2017) The Biphasic Root Growth Response to Abscisic Acid in Arabidopsis Involves Interaction with Ethylene and Auxin Signalling Pathways. Front Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01493 Open Access

Bill Davies and Brian Forde (Lancaster University) lead this work that investigates the effect on ethylene and auxin on the biphasic response to ABA during root elongation. They used a range of hormone signalling mutants to show that the response to high ABA is via both ethylene and auzin signalling. In contrast the response to low ABA does not require ethylene signalling.

Soriano G, Cloix C, Heilmann M, Núñez-Olivera E, Martínez-Abaigar J, Jenkins GI (2017) Evolutionary conservation of structure and function of the UVR8 photoreceptor from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha and the moss Physcomitrella patens. New Phytol. doi: 10.1111/nph.14767

Gareth Jenkins (University of Glasgow) is the corresponding author of this work that looks at the role of the UVR8 UV-B receptor in lower plants. They expressed the versions of UVR8 from a moss or a liverwort in Arabidopsis and showed that although there appears to be differences in the regulation of this protein, the mechanism of UV-B signaling is evolutionarily conserved

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: August 23rd

by Geraint

Categories: Cambridge University, Global, John Innes Centre, Open Access, Oxford University, SLCU, Uncategorized, University of Birmingham, University of Leeds, University of Oxford

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Published on: August 22, 2017

There is a bumper crop of papers in this weeks UK Arabidopsis Research Roundup! First up is a remarkable piece of work from George Bassel’s (University of Birmingham) lab that defines the network of cellular interactions that occur in the hypocotyl. Second and third are papers from the JIC in which Lars Ostergaard’s group uncovers the extent of the ETTIN signaling network and Caroline Dean‘s and Martin Howard’s labs provide evidence for a two step progression toward stable gene silencing following vernalisation at the FLC locus. Fourthly is a study that includes members of Alex Webb’s group (University of Cambridge) as co-authors that investigates the link between the circadian clock and night time starch metabolism. Fifth is a paper from Christine Foyer (University of Leeds) that looks at the effect of commonly used inhibitors on cellular redox state and gene expression. The next paper includes Phillip Carella (SLCU) as a co-author and looks at the role of classic flowering time genes on the phenomenon of Age-Related Resistance and finally Lee Sweetlove’s (University of Oxford) lab has published a methods paper for the analysis of photorespiration in non-photosynthetic tissues.

Jackson MD, Xu H, Duran-Nebreda S, Stamm P, Bassel GW (2017) Topological analysis of multicellular complexity in the plant hypocotyl. Elife http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26023

Open Access

George Bassel (University of Birmingham) is the corresponding author on this work that provides fantastic images of the plant hypocotyl taken as part of an analysis on the cell growth dynamics in this organ. They show that Arabidopsis epidermal atrichoblast cells demonstrate a reduced path length that coincides with preferential movement of small molecules through these cells. They analysis this process in various mutants showing which gene activities were necessary for the construction of this pattern. In addition they compared topological features in Arabidopsis, Poppy and Foxglove, showing that cell interactions and path length determinants differ between these organisms. Overall this manuscript defines the network principles that control complex organ construction as well as a function for higher order patterning.

Simonini S, Bencivenga S, Trick M, Ostergaard L (2017) Auxin-Induced Modulation of ETTIN Activity Orchestrates Gene Expression in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 10.1105/tpc.17.00389

Open Access

Last year Lars Ostergaard (JIC) discussed a paper from his lab on the GARNet YouTube channel in which they defined a new auxin-signaling paradigm that involved the non-canoical Auxin Response Factor ETTIN. This follow up to that study investigates the genetic network controlled by ETTIN activity and defines a range of developmental processes dependent on ETTIN auxin sensing. Furthermore by looking at direct ETTIN targets they suggest that this protein acts as a central node for the coordination of auxin signaling in the shoot. Finally their analysis of the effect of auxin on interactions between ETTIN and other transcription factors indicates that these are important factors in the diverse set of growth process controlled by auxin.

Yang H, Berry S, Olsson TSG, Hartley M, Howard M, Dean C (2017) Distinct phases of Polycomb silencing to hold epigenetic memory of cold in Arabidopsis. Science 10.1126/science.aan1121

This is another manuscript resulting from the extremely fruitful collaboration between the labs of Caroline Dean and Martin Howard at the John Innes Centre. This paper again focuses on the FLC locus and provides evidence for a new mechanism that defines how the binding of a subset of PRC2 factors nucleates a small region (<500bp) of chromatin at the FLC TSS, causing an increase in the repressive H3K27me2 histone mark. This metastable region serves as the seed for the development of stable epigenetic marks across the length of the locus through the activity of other distinct Polycomb factors. This occurs after a cold treatment and causes the spread of H3K27me2 repression. The novelty of this work is in the distinct temporal separation of phases of silencing, which ultimately result in the repression of FLC expression after a prolonged cold treatment.

Seki M, Ohara T, Hearn TJ, Frank A, da Silva VCH, Caldana C, Webb AAR, Satake A (2017) Adjustment of the Arabidopsis circadian oscillator by sugar signalling dictates the regulation of starch metabolism. Sci Rep. 10.1038/s41598-017-08325-y

Open Access

Research from Alex Webb’s group at the University of Cambridge features in the ARR for the second consecutive week, again on a similar topic. On this occasion they collaborate with Japanese colleagues to investigate the role of the circadian clock on determining the nighttime usage rate of starch that has accumulated during the day. They used a phase oscillator model to explain the link between the speed of the clock, starch breakdown and the maintenance of sucrose homeostasis. In addition they use Arabidopsis sugar response mutants to show that the circadian clock measures amount of cellular sucrose, which then controls the dynamics of starch breakdown.

Karpinska B, Alomrani SO, Foyer CH (2017) Inhibitor-induced oxidation of the nucleus and cytosol in Arabidopsis thaliana: implications for organelle to nucleus retrograde signalling. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 10.1098/rstb.2016.0392 Open Access

Christine Foyer (University of Leeds) is the corresponding author on this paper that looks at the effect of cellular oxidation on retrograde signaling between chloroplasts, mitochondria and the nucleus. They use a novel in vivo redox reporter to measure the effect of commonly used organelle inhibitors on cellular redox state. They discovered that these inhibitors cause a variety of effects on redox state and gene expression, which differed dependent on cell type. Researchers should be aware of these effects when they are drawing conclusions from their own experiments using these inhibitors.

Wilson DC, Kempthorne CJ, Carella P, Liscombe DK, Cameron R (2017) Age-Related Resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana Involves the MADS-domain Transcription Factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE and Direct Action of Salicylic Acid on Pseudomonas syringae. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 10.1094/MPMI-07-17-0172-R

Phillip Carella is a Research Fellow at SLCU and this work from this previous lab in Canada investigates Arabidopsis Age-Related Resistance (ARR), a process that requires SA accumulation, which is then thought to act as an antimicrobial agent. The ARR response is lacking in plants containing a mutation in for the SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) gene. These svp plants have reduced SA, thought to be due to uncoupled overactivity of the SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 gene. Overall this study shows that the flowering time gene SVP plays a complementary role in the control of SA accumulation, which confers ARR to older plants.

Fernie AR, Bauwe H, Sweetlove LJ (2017) Investigating the Role of the Photorespiratory Pathway in Non-photosynthetic Tissues. Methods Mol Biol 10.1007/978-1-4939-7225-8_15

Lee Sweetlove (University of Oxford) describes a protocol for evaluating the role of the photorespiration on the control of growth in non-photosynthetic tissues. This can be scaled for use in both Arabidopsis and in larger plants.

Arabidopsis Research Roundup: July 3rd.

by Geraint

Categories: Brassica, Cambridge University, Global, John Innes Centre, Open Access, Oxford Brookes University, SLCU, Uncategorized, University of Birmingham

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Published on: July 3, 2017

The Arabidopsis Research Roundup returns this week with selection of publications from institutions across the UK. Firstly George Bassel (Birmingham) leads a study that investigates the integration of inductive signals in the embryonic root. Secondly a group from the Oxford Brookes plant science group look into the literal linkages between the golgi apparatus and ER. Thirdly John Christie (Glasgow) and co-workers define a new variant of the phototropin receptor. Next Caroline Dean and Martin Howard (John Innes Centre) collaborate on work that defines the relationship between FLC, COOLAIR and cell size. The fifth paper is led by members of SLCU and investigates the regulatory influence of the Evening Complex of the circadian clock. The penultimate paper features work from Alison Smith’s group at the JIC that looks at dynamics of starch accumulation and degradation. Lastly is research from NIAB that defines the pathogeniticity of novel UK isolates of the fungal pathogen Verticillium longisporum.

Topham AT, Taylor RE, Yan D, Nambara E, Johnston IG, Bassel GW (2017) Temperature variability is integrated by a spatially embedded decision-making center to break dormancy in Arabidopsis seeds. PNAS

http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1704745114

Open Access

George Bassel (University of Birmingham) leads this study that identifies a decision making centre in the embryonic root that is defined by the intimate interaction between the hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA). The activity of this ‘decision centre’ is linked to both hormone transport and changes in temperature, the overall output of which is the decision to promotes seed germination or to delay until more favourable environmental conditions.

George discusses this paper on the GARNet YouTube channel.

Osterrieder A, Sparkes IA, Botchway SW, Ward A, Ketelaar T, de Ruijter N, Hawes C (2017) Stacks off tracks: a role for the golgin AtCASP in plant endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi apparatus tethering. J Exp Bot. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erx167

Open Access

Anne Osterrieder and Chris Hawes (Oxford Brookes University) continue their work that looks at the cellular dynamics of the golgi apparatus with this study that identifies the AtCASP protein as a important component that tethers the golgi to the ER. They use live-cell imaging to visualise golgi formation in cells that have different levels of AtCASP, allowing the authors to confirm that ER-golgi tethering is disrupted without the activity of this protein.

Petersen J, Inoue SI, Kelly SM, Sullivan S, Kinoshita T, Christie JM (2017) Functional Characterization of a Constitutively Active Kinase Variant of Arabidopsis Phototropin 1

J Biol Chem. http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M117.799643

Open Access

John Christie (University of Glasgow) collaborates with Japanese colleagues to identify a novel variant of the phototropin receptor. Study of this variant allows a greater understanding regarding the mode of action of this protein under different light conditions, as controlled by phosphorylation.

Ietswaart R, Rosa S, Wu Z, Dean C, Howard M (2017) Cell-Size-Dependent Transcription of FLC and Its Antisense Long Non-coding RNA COOLAIR Explain Cell-to-Cell Expression Variation. Cell Syst. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cels.2017.05.010

Open Access

Martin Howard and Caroline Dean (John Innes Centre) again collaborate on research that analyses the mode of regulation of FLC. They dissect RNA dynamics of FLC expression by single molecule in situ RNA fluorescence, showing that this is dependent on the presence of the antisense COOLAIR regulatory DNA. In the absence of COOLAIR they show FLC expression has a linear relationship with cell size but in the presence of the antisense transcript, FLC expression decreases with cell size. Overall they demonstrate FLC expression is tightly dependent on the presence of the antisense COOLAIR transcript.

Ezer D, Jung JH, Lan H, Biswas S, Gregoire L, Box MS, Charoensawan V,, Cortijo S, Lai X,, Stöckle D, Zubieta C, Jaeger KE, Wigge PA (2017) The evening complex coordinates environmental and endogenous signals in Arabidopsis. Nat Plants.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2017.87

Free to view with this URL.

Phil Wigge and Katja Jaeger (SLCU) lead this study that investigates how the evening complex of the circadian clock coordinates the expression of numerous important growth regulators. This genome wide regulation is determined by temperature and concides with the binding of phytochrome B, which provides a cellularly mechanism of this level of environmental control.

Fernandez O, Ishihara H, George GM, Mengin V, Flis A, Sumner D, Arrivault S, Feil R, Lunn JE, Zeeman SC, Smith AM, Stitt M (2017) Foliar starch turnover occurs in long days and in falling light at the end of the day. Plant Physiol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1104/pp.17.00601

Open Access

On this paper Alison Smith (John Innes Centre) is a co-corresponding author together with Mark Stitt from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam. They continue their work to investigate the dynamics of starch metabolism in Arabidopsis leaves. Broadly they show the rate of starch accumulation corresponds to the photosynthetic rate whilst degradation is linked to correct functioning of the circadian clock. They investigate this process in more detail by determining how the rate of starch degradation alters dependent on the time after dawn.

Depotter J, Rodriguez-Moreno L, Thomma BP, Wood T (2017) The emerging British Verticillium longisporum population consists of aggressive Brassica pathogens. Phytopathology http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-17-0184-R

Tom Wood (NIAB) is the corresponding author of this study that characterises four new UK isolates of the fungal pathogen Verticillium longisporum. The pathogenticity of V.longisporum was tested on Arabidopsis alongside three other Brassica crops. They demonstrate that the UK isolates were unusually aggressive yet this was not consistent across all Brassica cultivars with different fungal lineages showing different effects on oil seed rape, cabbage or cauliflower.

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