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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Hyperspectral Reflectance-Based Phenotyping For Quantitative Genetics In Crops: Progress And Challenges, Marcin Grzybowski, Kuwan K. Wijewardane, Abbas Atefi, Yufeng Ge, James C. Schnable Oct 2021

Hyperspectral Reflectance-Based Phenotyping For Quantitative Genetics In Crops: Progress And Challenges, Marcin Grzybowski, Kuwan K. Wijewardane, Abbas Atefi, Yufeng Ge, James C. Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Many biochemical and physiological properties of plants that are of interest to breeders and geneticists have extremely low throughput and/or can only be measured destructively. This has limited the use of information on natural variation in nutrient and metabolite abundance, as well as photosynthetic capacity in quantitative genetic contexts where it is necessary to collect data from hundreds or thousands of plants. A number of recent studies have demonstrated the potential to estimate many of these traits from hyperspectral reflectance data, primarily in ecophysiological contexts. Here, we summarize recent advances in the use of hyperspectral reflectance data for plant phenotyping, …


Toward Sustainable Production Of Value-Added Bioenergy And Industrial Oils In Oilseed And Biomass Feedstocks, Kiyoul Park, Sanju A. Sanjaya, Truyen Quach, Edgar B. Cahoon Jun 2021

Toward Sustainable Production Of Value-Added Bioenergy And Industrial Oils In Oilseed And Biomass Feedstocks, Kiyoul Park, Sanju A. Sanjaya, Truyen Quach, Edgar B. Cahoon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Plant fatty acids are used forfood, feed, fuel, and industrial materials. Structurally and chemically diverse fatty acids, referred to as unusual or specialized fatty acids, are found in the seed oils of diverse plant species. Many unusual fatty acids have potential use as alternative and renewable sources of biofuels and biobased industrial feedstocks due to their variant structures' physical or functional properties. Oils enriched in these fatty acids can increase the value of oilseed crops and provide co-products that can be readily extracted from lignocellulosic materials in biomass crops. Here, we describe recent progress in strategies for enhancement of oil …


Disruption Of Long-Chain Base Hydroxylation Alters Growth And Impacts Sphingolipid Synthesis In Physcomitrella Patens, Abraham R. Steinberger, William Oscar Merino, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Edgar B. Cahoon, Daniel V. Lynch Jun 2021

Disruption Of Long-Chain Base Hydroxylation Alters Growth And Impacts Sphingolipid Synthesis In Physcomitrella Patens, Abraham R. Steinberger, William Oscar Merino, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Edgar B. Cahoon, Daniel V. Lynch

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Sphingolipids have roles as membrane structural components and as bioactive molecules in plants. In Physcomitrella patens, 4-hydroxysphinganine (phytosphingosine, t18:0) is the predominant sphingolipid long-chain base (LCB). To assess the functional significance of t18:0, CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis was used to generate mutant lines lacking the sole SPHINGOID BASE HYDROXYLASE (SBH) gene encoding the hydroxylase responsible for converting sphinganine (d18:0) to t18:0. Total sphingolipid content in sbh protonemata was 2.4-fold higher than in wild-type. Modest changes in glycosyl inositolphosphorylceramide (GIPC) glycosylation patterns occurred. Sphingolipidomic analyses of mutants lacking t18:0 indicated modest alterations in acyl-chain pairing with d18:0 in GIPCs and ceramides, but dramatic …


Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Agronomic And Biochemical Traits In Cannabis Sativa, Patrick Woods, Brian J. Campbell, Timothy J. Nicodemus, Edgar B. Cahoon, Jack L. Mullen, John K. Mckay May 2021

Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Agronomic And Biochemical Traits In Cannabis Sativa, Patrick Woods, Brian J. Campbell, Timothy J. Nicodemus, Edgar B. Cahoon, Jack L. Mullen, John K. Mckay

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Understanding the genetic basis of complex traits is a fundamental goal of evolutionary genetics. Yet, the genetics controlling complex traits in many important species such as hemp (Cannabis sativa) remain poorly investigated. Because hemp’s change in legal status with the 2014 and 2018 U.S. Federal Farm Bills, interest in the genetics controlling its numerous agriculturally important traits has steadily increased. To better understand the genetics of agriculturally important traits in hemp, we developed an F2 population by crossing two phenotypically distinct hemp cultivars (Carmagnola and USO31). Using whole-genome sequencing, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with variation …


An Ancient, Light-Dependent Hydrocarbon-Forming Enzyme, Ananya Mukherjee Apr 2021

An Ancient, Light-Dependent Hydrocarbon-Forming Enzyme, Ananya Mukherjee

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.


Compounds Derived From Bacteria Enhance Marine Diatom Growth, Ananya Mukherjee Mar 2021

Compounds Derived From Bacteria Enhance Marine Diatom Growth, Ananya Mukherjee

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.


Predicting Transcriptional Responses To Cold Stress Across Plant Species, Xiaoxi Meng, Zhikai Liang, Xiuru Dai, Yang Zhang, Samira Mahboub, Daniel W. Ngu, Rebecca Roston, James Schnable Mar 2021

Predicting Transcriptional Responses To Cold Stress Across Plant Species, Xiaoxi Meng, Zhikai Liang, Xiuru Dai, Yang Zhang, Samira Mahboub, Daniel W. Ngu, Rebecca Roston, James Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Although genome-sequence assemblies are available for a growing number of plant species, gene-expression responses to stimuli have been cataloged for only a subset of these species. Many genes show altered transcription patterns in response to abiotic stresses. However, orthologous genes in related species often exhibit different responses to a given stress. Accordingly, data on the regulation of gene expression in one species are not reliable predictors of orthologous gene responses in a related species. Here, we trained a supervised classification model to identify genes that transcriptionally respond to cold stress. A model trained with only features calculated directly from genome …


Dissecting The Regulatory Roles Of Orm Proteins In The Sphingolipid Pathway Of Plants, Adil Alsiyabi, Ariadna Gonzalez Solis, Edgar B. Cahoon, Rajib Saha Jan 2021

Dissecting The Regulatory Roles Of Orm Proteins In The Sphingolipid Pathway Of Plants, Adil Alsiyabi, Ariadna Gonzalez Solis, Edgar B. Cahoon, Rajib Saha

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Sphingolipids are a vital component of plant cellular endomembranes and carry out multiple functional and regulatory roles. Different sphingolipid species confer rigidity to the membrane structure, facilitate trafficking of secretory proteins, and initiate programmed cell death. Although the regulation of the sphingolipid pathway is yet to be uncovered, increasing evidence has pointed to orosomucoid proteins (ORMs) playing a major regulatory role and potentially interacting with a number of components in the pathway, including both enzymes and sphingolipids. However, experimental exploration of new regulatory interactions is time consuming and often infeasible. In this work, a computational approach was taken to address …


Predicting Transcriptional Responses To Cold Stress Across Plant Species, Xiaoxi Meng, Zhikai Liang, Xiuru Dai, Yang Zhang, Samira Mahboub, Daniel W. Ngu, Rebecca L. Roston, James C. Schnable Jan 2021

Predicting Transcriptional Responses To Cold Stress Across Plant Species, Xiaoxi Meng, Zhikai Liang, Xiuru Dai, Yang Zhang, Samira Mahboub, Daniel W. Ngu, Rebecca L. Roston, James C. Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Although genome-sequence assemblies are available for a growing number of plant species, gene-expression responses to stimuli have been cataloged for only a subset of these species. Many genes show altered transcription patterns in response to abiotic stresses. However, orthologous genes in related species often exhibit different responses to a given stress. Accordingly, data on the regulation of gene expression in one species are not reliable predictors of orthologous gene responses in a related species. Here, we trained a supervised classification model to identify genes that transcriptionally respond to cold stress. A model trained with only features calculated directly from genome …


Production Of Tocotrienols In Seeds Of Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Enhances Oxidative Stability And Offers Nutraceutical Potential, Shanmukh S. Salimath, Trevor B. Romsdahl, Anji Reddy Konda, Wei Zhang, Edgar B. Cahoon, Michael K. Dowd, Thomas C. Wedegaertner, Kater D. Hake, Kent D. Chapman Jan 2021

Production Of Tocotrienols In Seeds Of Cotton (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) Enhances Oxidative Stability And Offers Nutraceutical Potential, Shanmukh S. Salimath, Trevor B. Romsdahl, Anji Reddy Konda, Wei Zhang, Edgar B. Cahoon, Michael K. Dowd, Thomas C. Wedegaertner, Kater D. Hake, Kent D. Chapman

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an economically important multi-purpose crop cultivated globally for fibre, seed oil and protein. Cottonseed oil also is naturally rich in vitamin E components (collectively known as tocochromanols), with a- and c-tocopherols comprising nearly all of the vitamin E components. By contrast, cottonseeds have little or no tocotrienols, tocochromanols with a wide range of health benefits. Here, we generated transgenic cotton lines expressing the barley (Hordeum vulgare) homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase coding sequence under the control of the Brassica napus seed-specific promoter, napin. Transgenic cottonseeds had ~twofold to threefold increases in the accumulation of total vitamin …


Molecular-Assisted Breeding For Soybean With High Oleic/Low Linolenic Acid And Elevated Vitamin E In The Seed Oil, Katherine Hagely, Anji Reddy Konda, Jeong-Hwa Kim, Edgar B. Cahoon, Kristin Bilyeu Jan 2021

Molecular-Assisted Breeding For Soybean With High Oleic/Low Linolenic Acid And Elevated Vitamin E In The Seed Oil, Katherine Hagely, Anji Reddy Konda, Jeong-Hwa Kim, Edgar B. Cahoon, Kristin Bilyeu

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

The uses of vegetable oils are determined by functional properties arising from their chemical composition. Soybean oil was previously used in margarines and baked foods after partial hydrogenation to achieve heat and oxidative stability. This process, however, generates trans fats that are now excluded from food use because of cardiovascular health risks. Also present in soybean oil are the anti-oxidant tocopherols, with α- tocopherol (vitamin E) typically present as a minor component compared to γ-tocopherol. Genetic improvement of the fatty acid profile and tocopherol profile is an attractive solution to increase the functional and health qualities of soybean oil. The …


72-H Diurnal Rna-Seq Analysis Of Fully Expanded Third Leaves From Maize, Sorghum, And Foxtail Millet At 3-H Resolution, Xianjun Lai, Claire Bendix, Yan Zhang, James Schnable, Frank G. Harmon Jan 2021

72-H Diurnal Rna-Seq Analysis Of Fully Expanded Third Leaves From Maize, Sorghum, And Foxtail Millet At 3-H Resolution, Xianjun Lai, Claire Bendix, Yan Zhang, James Schnable, Frank G. Harmon

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objectives: The purpose of this data set is to capture the complete diurnal (i.e., daily) transcriptome of fully expanded third leaves from the C4 panacoid grasses sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), maize (Zea mays), and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) with RNA-seq transcriptome profiling. These data are the cornerstone of a larger project that examined the conservation and divergence of gene expression networks within these crop plants. This data set focuses on tem- poral changes in gene expression to identify the network architecture responsible for daily regulation of plant growth and metabolic activities. The power of this data set is fine temporal resolution …


Somatic Variants For Seed And Fruit Set In Grapevine, Laura Costantini, Paula Moreno-Sanz, Chinedu Charles Nwafor, Silvia Lorenzi, Annarita Marrano, Fabiana Cristofolini, Elena Gottardini, Stefano Raimondi, Paola Ruffa, Ivana Gribaudo, Anna Schneider, Maria Stella Grando Jan 2021

Somatic Variants For Seed And Fruit Set In Grapevine, Laura Costantini, Paula Moreno-Sanz, Chinedu Charles Nwafor, Silvia Lorenzi, Annarita Marrano, Fabiana Cristofolini, Elena Gottardini, Stefano Raimondi, Paola Ruffa, Ivana Gribaudo, Anna Schneider, Maria Stella Grando

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Grapevine reproductive development has direct implications on yield. It also impacts on berry and wine quality by affecting traits like seedlessness, berry and bunch size, cluster compactness and berry skin to pulp ratio. Seasonal fluctuations in yield, fruit composition and wine attributes, which are largely driven by climatic factors, are major challenges for worldwide table grape and wine industry. Accordingly, a better understanding of reproductive processes such as gamete development, fertilization, seed and fruit set is of paramount relevance for managing yield and quality. With the aim of providing new insights into this field, we searched for clones with …


3d Reconstruction Identifies Loci Linked To Variation In Angle Of Individual Sorghum Leaves, Michael C. Tross, Mathieu Gaillard, Mackenzie Zwiener, Chenyong Miao, Ryleigh J. Grove, Bosheng Li, Bedrich Benes, James C. Schnable Jan 2021

3d Reconstruction Identifies Loci Linked To Variation In Angle Of Individual Sorghum Leaves, Michael C. Tross, Mathieu Gaillard, Mackenzie Zwiener, Chenyong Miao, Ryleigh J. Grove, Bosheng Li, Bedrich Benes, James C. Schnable

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Selection for yield at high planting density has reshaped the leaf canopy of maize, improving photosynthetic productivity in high density settings. Further optimization of canopy architecture may be possible. However, measuring leaf angles, the widely studied component trait of leaf canopy architecture, by hand is a labor and time intensive process. Here, we use multiple, calibrated, 2D images to reconstruct the 3D geometry of individual sorghum plants using a voxel carving based algorithm. Automatic skeletonization and segmentation of these 3D geometries enable quan- tification of the angle of each leaf for each plant. The resulting measurements are both heritable and …


Inmut-Finder: A Software Tool For Insertion Identification In Mutagenesis Using Nanopore Long Reads, Rui Song, Ziyao Wang, Hui Wang, Han Zhang, Xuemeng Wang, Hanh Nguyen, David Holding, Bin Yu, Tom Clemente, Shangang Jia, Chi Zhang Jan 2021

Inmut-Finder: A Software Tool For Insertion Identification In Mutagenesis Using Nanopore Long Reads, Rui Song, Ziyao Wang, Hui Wang, Han Zhang, Xuemeng Wang, Hanh Nguyen, David Holding, Bin Yu, Tom Clemente, Shangang Jia, Chi Zhang

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Biological mutagens (such as transposon) with sequences inserted, play a crucial role to link observed phenotype and genotype in reverse genetic studies. For this reason, accurate and efficient software tools for identifying insertion sites based on the analysis of sequencing reads are desired. Results: We developed a bioinformatics tool, a Finder, to identify genome-wide Insertions in Mutagenesis (named as “InMut-Finder”), based on target sequences and flanking sequences from long reads, such as Oxford Nanopore Sequencing. InMut-Finder succeeded in identify > 100 insertion sites in Medicago truncatula and soybean mutants based on sequencing reads of whole-genome DNA or enriched …


Complete Mitogenomes Of Two Aragoa Species And Phylogeny Of Plantagineae (Plantaginaceae, Lamiales) Using Mitochondrial Genes And The Nuclear Ribosomal Rna Repeat, Jeffrey P. Mower, Lilly Hanley, Kirsten Wolff, Natalia Pabón-Mora, Favio González Jan 2021

Complete Mitogenomes Of Two Aragoa Species And Phylogeny Of Plantagineae (Plantaginaceae, Lamiales) Using Mitochondrial Genes And The Nuclear Ribosomal Rna Repeat, Jeffrey P. Mower, Lilly Hanley, Kirsten Wolff, Natalia Pabón-Mora, Favio González

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

Aragoa, comprising 19 high-altitude North Andean species, is one of three genera in the Plantagineae (Plantaginaceae, Lamiales), along with Littorella and Plantago. Based primarily on plastid data and nuclear ITS, Aragoa is sister to a clade of Littorella + Plantago, but Plantagineae relationships have yet to be assessed using multigene datasets from the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Here, complete mitogenomes were assembled for two species of Aragoa (A. abietina and A. cleefii). The mitogenomes of both species have a typical suite of genes for 34 proteins, 17 tRNAs, and three rRNAs. The A. abietina mitogenome …


Plasma Membrane Fluidity: An Environment Thermal Detector In Plants, Dora L. Cano-Ramirez, Laura Carmona-Salazar, Francisco Morales-Cedillo, Jorge Ramírez-Salcedo, Edgar B. Cahoon, Marina Gavilanes-Ruíz Jan 2021

Plasma Membrane Fluidity: An Environment Thermal Detector In Plants, Dora L. Cano-Ramirez, Laura Carmona-Salazar, Francisco Morales-Cedillo, Jorge Ramírez-Salcedo, Edgar B. Cahoon, Marina Gavilanes-Ruíz

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty and Staff Publications

The lipid matrix in cell membranes is a dynamic, bidimensional array of amphipathic molecules exhibiting mesomorphism, which contributes to the membrane fluidity changes in response to temperature fluctuation. As sessile organisms, plants must rapidly and accurately respond to environmental thermal variations. However, mechanisms underlying temperature perception in plants are poorly understood. We studied the thermal plasticity of membrane fluidity using three fluorescent probes across a temperature range of -5 to 41 °C in isolated microsomal fraction (MF), vacuolar membrane (VM), and plasma membrane (PM) vesicles from Arabidopsis plants. Results showed that PM were highly fluid and exhibited more phase transitions …