Epigenetic regulation of QQS (At3g30720) along Arabidopsis thaliana development and in response to environmental signals

• Grant number: 11/06413-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Michel Georges Albert Vincentz
• Grantee: Raphael Ricon de Oliveira
• Home Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/52071-0 - Energetic homeostasis and sugar signaling: diversification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the control of the energetic balance in angiosperms, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

Cytosine and histone H3/H4 methylation are epigenetic modifications involved in transposable elements (TEs) silencing, acting therefore as a genomic immune system. These epigenetic modifications influence the formation of heterochromatin and may also modulate gene expression. In plants, cytosine methylation occurs in symmetrical and asymmetrical sequence contexts in promoter regions and transcribed regions (gene body) of genes. The methylation pattern is primarily established by the "de novo" activity of the DNA methyltransferase DRM2, in a pathway dependent on the RNAi machinery components. Maintenance, on the other hand, relies on the activity of two other methyltransferases, MET1 and CMT3. In Arabidopsis thaliana a massive demethylation of the genome in the endosperm and pollen vegetative nuclei that possibly reinforce the silencing of TEs in the gametes was described. However, the impact of the DNA methylation dynamics on development is still poorly documented and understood. The Qua-quine Starch (QQS) gene is an A. thaliana neogene located in a heterochromatic island and is involved in metabolism starch control. We identified some stable QQS epialleles that showed variable expression levels according to the methylation degree in the QQS promoter and 5'UTR regions. QQS also presents a specific expression profile during development stages and in response to certain abiotic signals. The objective of this project is to uncover new aspects of the interaction between development or environment signals and pathways controlling DNA methylation using QQS as a marker gene for these phenomena.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

OLIVEIRA, R. R.; VIANA, A. J. C.; REATEGUI, A. C. E.; VINCENTZ, M. G. A. An efficient method for simultaneous extraction of high-quality RNA and DNA from various plant tissues. Genetics and Molecular Research, v. 14, n. 4, p. 18828-18838, 2015. Web of Science Citations: 2.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

OLIVEIRA, Raphael Ricon de. Epigenetic regulation of the Qua-Quine Starch neogene during Arabidopsis thaliana development and its impact on starch metabolism. 2015. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Instituto de Biologia.