Comparative Analysis Reveals Dynamic Changes in miRNAs and Their Targets and Expression during Somatic Embryogenesis in Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)

Somatic embryogenesis (SE), which resembles zygotic embryogenesis, is an essential component of the process of plant cell differentiation and embryo development. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of many plant develop- mental processes, their roles in SE have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we used deep-sequencing, computational, and qPCR methods to identify, profile, and describe conserved and novel miRNAs involved in longan (Dimocarpus longan) SE. A total of 643 conserved and 29 novel miRNAs (including star strands) from more than 169 miRNA families were identified in longan embryogenic tissue using Solexa sequencing. By combining computational and degradome sequencing approaches, we were able to predict 2063 targets of 272 miRNAs and verify 862 targets of 181 miRNAs. Target annotation revealed that the putative targets were involved in a broad variety of biological processes, including plant metabolism, signal transduction, and stimulus response. Analysis of stage- and tissue-specific expressions of 20 conserved and 4 novel miRNAs indicated their possible roles in longan SE. These miRNAs were dlo-miR156 family members and dlo-miR166c* associated with early embryonic culture developmental stages; dlo-miR26, dlo-miR160a, and families dlo-miR159, dlo-miR390, and dlo-miR398b related to heart-shaped and torpedo- shaped embryo formation; dlo-miR4a, dlo-miR24, dlo-miR167a, dlo-miR168a*, dlo-miR397a, dlo-miR398b.1, dlo-miR398b.2, dlo-miR808 and dlo-miR5077 involved in cotyledonary embryonic development; and dlo-miR17 and dlo-miR2089*-1 that have regulatory roles during longan SE. In addition, dlo-miR167a, dlo-miR808, and dlo-miR5077 may be required for mature embryo formation. This study is the first reported investigation of longan SE involving large-scale cloning, characterization, and expression profiling of miRNAs and their targets. The reported results contribute to our knowledge of somatic embryo miRNAs and provide insights into miRNA biogenesis and expression in plant somatic embryo development.     

龙眼体胚发生相关未知蛋白DlUP-3基因的克隆与表达分析

在龙眼体胚发生早期的蛋白质组学研究中,发现1个体胚发生相关未知蛋白DlUP-3,通过简并引物结合RACE技术进行其基因全长序列克隆。结果显示:(1)克隆到的龙眼体胚发生相关未知蛋白基因DlUP-3的全长cDNA序列为1 681bp,开放阅读框由1 017个核苷酸组成,编码338个氨基酸(GenBank登录号为GQ167202)。(2)生物信息学分析发现,该基因推导蛋白分子量为36 854.2Da,pI为9.05;该蛋白为Ras蛋白质家族成员,具有ATP/GTP-binding site motif A(P-loop)结合位点和1个典型的Ras_like_GTPase superfamily组件,无典型信号肽结构,但有跨膜螺旋的亲水性蛋白;不规则卷曲是其最大量的结构元件,散布于整个蛋白质中。(3)实时荧光定量PCR分析显示,该基因在龙眼体胚发生过程中均有表达,其中以胚性愈伤组织阶段表达量最低,而球形胚阶段最高。研究表明,DlUP-3基因在龙眼体胚发生过程尤其是球形胚阶段有重要的作用,为进一步研究该基因在龙眼体胚发生过程中的功能奠定了基础。     

Identification,mRNA Expression,and Functional Analysis of Chitin Synthase 1 Gene and Its Two Alternative Splicing Variants in Oriental Fruit Fly,Bactrocera dorsalis

Two alternative splicing variants of chitin synthase 1 gene (BdCHS1) were cloned and characterized from the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel). The cDNA of both variants (BdCHS1a and BdCHS1b) consisted of 5,552 nucleotides (nt), with an open reading frame (ORF) of 4,776 nt, encoding a protein of 1,592 amino acid residues, plus 685- and 88-nt of 5′- and 3′-noncoding regions, respectively. The alternative splicing site was located between positions 3,784-3,960 and formed a pair of mutually exclusive exons (a/b) that were same in size (177 nt), but showed only 65% identity at the nucleotide level. During B. dorsalis growth and development, BdCHS1 and BdCHS1a were both mainly expressed during the larval-pupal and pupal-adult transitions, while BdCHS1b was mainly expressed during pupal-adult metamorphosis and in the middle of the pupal stage. BdCHS1a was predominately expressed in the integument whereas BdCHS1b was mainly expressed in the trachea. The 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induced the expression of BdCHS1 and its variants. Injection of dsRNA of BdCHS1, BdCHS1a, and BdCHS1b into third-instar larvae significantly reduced the expression levels of the corresponding variants, generated phenotypic defects, and killed most of the treated larvae. Furthermore, silencing of BdCHS1 and BdCHS1a had a similar result in that the larva was trapped in old cuticle and died without tanning completely, while silencing of BdCHS1b has no effect on insect morphology. These results demonstrated that BdCHS1 plays an important role in the larval-pupal transition and the expression of BdCHS1 in B. dorsalis is regulated by 20E.     

Functional differentiation of bmp2a and bmp2b genes in zebrafish

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 plays an important role in the regulation of osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the bmp2 ortholog evolved from the same ancestral gene family in vertebrates and was duplicated in teleost, which were named bmp2a and bmp2b. The results of whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that the expression locations of bmp2a and bmp2b in zebrafish were different in different periods (24 hpf, 48 hpf, 72 hpf), which revealed potential functional differentiation between bmp2a and bmp2b. Phenotypic analysis showed that bmp2a mutations caused partial rib and vertebral deformities in zebrafish, while bmp2b^−/− embryos died massively after 12 hpf due to abnormal somite formation. We further explored the expression pattern changes of genes (bmp2a, bmp2b, smad1, fgf4, runx2b, alp) related to skeletal development at different developmental stages (20 dpf, 60 dpf, 90 dpf) in wild-type and bmp2a^−/− zebrafish. The results showed that the expression of runx2b in bmp2a^−/− was significantly downregulated at three stages and the expression of other genes were significantly downregulated at 90 dpf compared with wild-type zebrafish. The study revealed functional differentiation of bmp2a and bmp2b in zebrafish embryonic and skeletal development.     

cDNA cloning,genomic organization and expression analysis during somatic embryogenesis of the translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene from Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis)

A full-length cDNA and genomic sequences of a translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) gene were isolated from Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis) and designated LaTCTP. The length of the cDNA was 1043 bp and contained a 504 bp open reading frame that encodes a predicted protein of 167 amino acids, characterized by two signature sequences of the TCTP protein family. Analysis of the LaTCTP gene structure indicated four introns and five exons, and it is the largest of all currently known TCTP genes in plants. The 5′-flanking promoter region of LaTCTP was cloned using an improved TAIL-PCR technique. In this region we identified many important potential cis-acting elements, such as a Box-W1 (fungal elicitor responsive element), a CAT-box (cis-acting regulatory element related to meristem expression), a CGTCA-motif (cis-acting regulatory element involved in MeJA-responsiveness), a GT1-motif (light responsive element), a Skn-1-motif (cis-acting regulatory element required for endosperm expression) and a TGA-element (auxin-responsive element), suggesting that expression of LaTCTP is highly regulated. Expression analysis demonstrated ubiquitous localization of LaTCTP mRNA in the roots, stems and needles, high mRNA levels in the embryonal-suspensor mass (ESM), browning embryogenic cultures and mature somatic embryos, and low levels of mRNA at day five during somatic embryogenesis. We suggest that LaTCTP might participate in the regulation of somatic embryo development. These results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the molecular regulatory mechanism of LaTCTP and lay the foundation for artificial regulation of somatic embryogenesis.     

Genome-wide analysis of the maize superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene family reveals important roles in drought and salt responses

Superoxide dismutase proteins (SODs) are antioxidant enzymes with important roles in abiotic stress responses. The SOD gene family has been systematically analyzed in many plants; however, it is still poorly understood in maize. Here, a bioinformatics analysis of maize SOD gene family was conducted by describing gene structure, conserved motifs, phylogenetic relationships, gene duplications, promoter cis-elements and GO annotations. In total, 13 SOD genes were identified in maize and five members were involved in segmental duplication. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that SODs from maize and other plants comprised two groups, which could be further classified into different subgroups, with most members in the same subgroup having the same subcellular localization. The ZmSOD promoters contained 2-10 stress-responsive cis-elements with different distributions. Heatmap analysis indicated that ZmSODs were expressed in most of the detected tissues and organs. The expression patterns of ZmSODs were investigated under drought and salt treatments by qRT-PCR, and most members were responsive to drought or salt stress, especially some ZmSODs with significant expression changes were identified, such as ZmCSD2 and ZmMSD2, suggesting the important roles of ZmSODs in abiotic stress responses. Our results provide an important basis for further functional study of ZmSODs in future study.     

龙眼体细胞胚胎发生过程中DlWUS的克隆与表达分析

以龙眼‘红核子’LC2悬浮细胞系诱导的胚性愈伤组织为基本材料,按照龙眼体细胞胚胎同步化方法诱导获得龙眼体胚不同阶段材料,并以龙眼体细胞胚胎发生不同阶段混合材料作为试验材料,采用RT-PCR结合RACE技术分离并克隆龙眼中编码同源异型结构域蛋白的转录因子WUSCHEL(简称DlWUS)的cDNA全长及DNA序列,并进行序列分析与表达分析。结果表明:DlWUS的cDNA全长1 110bp,开放阅读框(ORF)858bp,共编码285个氨基酸(GenBank登录号为KM017506),DlWUS的DNA包含2个内含子。序列分析表明,DlWUS是一个不稳定的亲水蛋白,不含信号肽,亚细胞定位于细胞核,具跨膜结构和Homeodomain超级家族的保守结构域以及WUS转录因子家族特有的WUS box和EAR-like结构域,推测该目的基因确实为WUS转录因子。系统进化分析显示,龙眼DlWUS与脐橙WUS归为一个分支,亲缘关系较近。实时荧光定量PCR分析结果表明,在龙眼体细胞胚胎发生整个过程中,DlWUS均有表达,但仅在球形胚时期表达量较高,说明DlWUS可能主要在球形胚阶段发挥作用,并且在一定浓度范围内,外源施加IAA和GA3能够促进DlWUS基因的表达,而外源施加SA则抑制DlWUS基因的表达。     

龙眼体胚发生过程中DCL基因的分子特性及表达分析

从龙眼转录组unigene序列筛选获得龙眼DCL基因(命名为DlDCL)全长序列,并结合生物信息学及实时荧光定量等方法,对龙眼DCL基因进行研究,以明确DlDCLs在龙眼体胚、不同生长组织部位中的表达规律及其对激素和光质应答反应,为进一步研究龙眼体胚过程中DlDCLs基因的调控研究奠定基础。结果表明:(1)龙眼转录组数据存在DlDCL1、DlDCL2、DlDCL3和DlDCL4四个DCL家族成员,且基于Unigene的FPKM值发现不同基因在体胚发生阶段具有差异表达。(2)生物信息学分析发现,DlDCLs成员间基本理化性质较为类似,均为亲水性不稳定蛋白、不含信号肽、可进行跨膜运动,但也存在一定差异,如DlDCL2为碱性蛋白,而其他3个成员为酸性蛋白;亚细胞定位预测显示,DlDCLs均定位于细胞核中,但DlDCL2也存在定位于叶绿体中;对DCL蛋白结构域预测显示,DCL是高度保守的蛋白。(3)系统进化树分析显示,不同物种的DCL分为4个分支,同源的DCL蛋白都聚为一类,且DlDCLs与柑橘DCL亲缘关系更为接近。(4)实时荧光定量PCR分析表明,DlDCLs在龙眼非胚性愈伤组织和体胚发生过程中的表达模式差异较大,但DlDCLs在愈伤组织阶段均有较高的表达量,推测DlDCLs在体胚发生过程可能具有功能的独立和协作。DlDCL1和DlDCL2在叶片、花器官等组织部位中的相对表达量较高,暗示DlDCL1和DlDCL2可能参与到光合作用和花器官的发育;DlDCLs还受2,4-D、MeJA、SA激素和光质诱导,表明DlDCLs可能参与激素和光质调控。     

Calcium-dependent mechanism of somatic embryogenesis in Panax ginseng cell cultures expressing the rolC oncogene

The Panax ginseng 2c3 embryogenic cell culture was earlier obtained by callus cell transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolC. Calcium channel blockers (LaCl₃, verapamil, and niflumic acid) reduced the production of somatic embryos in the 2c3 culture, implicating the Ca²⁺ signaling system in plant somatic embryogenesis. The protein kinase inhibitors W7 and H7 also decreased the yield of somatic embryos in the 2c3 culture. The total CDPK expression in the 2c3 culture was 1.2-to 1.5-fold lower than in a control callus culture as a result of a silencing of the genes belonging to the PgCDPK1 (PgCDPK1a and PgCDPK1b) and PgCDPK3 (PgCDPK3a) subfamilies. Expression of the PgCDPK2 subfamily genes (PgCDPK2b and PgCDPK2d) was increased. It was assumed that some genes of the PgCDPK1, PgCDPK2, and PgCDPK3 subfamilies were responsible for generation of embryogenic cells in the 2c3 culture. For the first time, rolC expression and embryogenesis were associated with changes in the expression of certain CDPK genes.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of PLCB1 (phospholipase C, beta 1) gene from the olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus

PLCB1 (phospholipase C, beta 1) cDNA was cloned from olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) cDNA via rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The cDNA for olive flounder PLCB1 (PoPLCB1) encodes for a polypeptide of 1,244 amino acids in length containing a well-conserved PH domain, catalytic X and Y domains, a C2 domain. From the sequence information of the BAC library, we assembled a contig containing the whole flounder PLCB1 cDNA sequences, and determined the exon/intron structure of the gene spanning > 110,743 bp DNA. PoPLCB1 gDNA sequences demonstrated the new sequence (exon 15), which has only been observed in the fish, is located between the X and Y domain of the PLCB1, and that PoPLCB1 exists as two splice variants-PoPLCB1a (1,244 amino acids) and PoPLCB1b (1,210 amino acids). Phylogenic analysis and sequence comparison of PoPLCB1 with other PLC isozymes showed a close relationship with the PLCB1 isozyme. Tissue-specific mRNA of PoPLCB1 was expressed predominantly in the brain and heart tissues. Between the two splicing variants of PoPLB1 in RT-PCR by tissue, PoPLCB1a showed a major expression pattern in more diverse types of tissues than the PoPLCB1b. PoPLCB1 gene expression was compared with that of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in infected spleen and kidney tissues via real-time RT-PCR assays following stimulation with LPS. After the stimulation, the expression of PoPLCB1 increased significantly prior to IL-1B and TNF-α expression. This provided direct evidence suggesting that PoPLCB1 may perform a crucial role in immune responses against pathogens and in inflammation.     

The analysis of differential gene expression in early somatic embryogenesis on Lycium barbarum

Direct exposure of calluses of Lycium barbarum L. to an auxin-free medium can induce somatic embryogenesis. Somatic embryogenesis of Lycium barbarum L. is controlled artificially by regulating 2,4-D concentration. The total RNA that was isolated from calluses, embryonic calluses and early somatic embryos was used for analyzing differential genes expression. We obtained three cDNAs from early somatic embryogenesis which were not found in calluses. The results indicate that these cDNAs were early embryogenesis-specific cDNAs and this gene expression was induced in cultured calluses after a transfer to an auxin- free medium. A cDNA library was constructed using poly(A)⁺-RNA derived from early somatic embryos of Lycium barbarism L. Two full-length cDNAs were isolated from the library by differential screening. Northern blot hybridization analysis indicated that the expression of the full-length cDNA only existed in embryogenic calluses and early somatic embryos of Lycium barbarum L. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Twist controls skeletal development and dorsoventral patterning by regulating runx2 in zebrafish

Background

Twist1a and twist1b are the principal components of twists that negatively regulate a number of cellular signaling events. Expression of runx2 and downstream targets is essential for skeletal development and ventral organizer formation and specification in early vertebrate embryos, but what controls ventral activity of maternal runx2 and how twists function in zebrafish embryogenesis still remain unclear.

Methodology/Principal Findings

By studying the loss of twist induced by injection of morpholino-oligonucleotide in zebrafish, we found that twist1a and twist1b, but not twist2 or twist3, were required for proper skeletal development and dorsoventral patterning in early embryos. Overexpression of twist1a or twist1b following mRNA injection resulted in deteriorated skeletal development and formation of typical dorsalized embryos, whereas knockdown of twist1a and twist1b led to the formation of abnormal embryos with enhanced skeletal formation and typical ventralized patterning. Overexpression of twist1a or twist1b decreased the expression of runx2b, whereas twist1a and twist1b knockdown increased runx2b expression. We have further demonstrated that phenotypes induced by twist1a and twist1b knockdown were rescued by runx2b knockdown.

Conclusions/Significance

Together, these results suggest that twist1a and twist1b control skeletal development and dorsoventral patterning by regulating runx2b in zebrafish and provide potential targets for the treatment of diseases or syndromes associated with decreased skeletal development.