Biomedical subjects

Patrick S Schnable

Publications and source records attributed to Patrick S Schnable.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The roothairless1 gene of maize encodes a homolog of sec3, which is involved in polar exocytosis.

The roothairless1 (rth1) mutant is impaired in root hair elongation and exhibits other growth abnormalities. Unicellular root hairs elongate via localized tip growth, a process mediated by polar exocytosis of secretory vesicles. We report here the cloning of the rth1 gene that encodes a sec3 homolog. In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and mammals, sec3 is a subunit of the exocyst complex, which tethers exocytotic vesicles prior to their fusion. The cloning of the rth1 gene associates the homologs of exocyst subunits to an exocytotic process in plant development and supports the hypothesis that exocyst-like proteins are involved in plant exocytosis. Proteomic analyses identified four proteins that accumulate to different levels in wild-type and rth1 primary roots. The preferential accumulation in the rth1 mutant proteome of a negative regulator of the cell cycle (a prohibitin) may at least partially explain the delayed development and flowering of the rth1 mutant.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2005

Cis-effects on meiotic recombination across distinct a1-sh2 intervals in a common Zea genetic background.

Genetic distances across the a1-sh2 interval varied threefold in three near-isogenic stocks that carry structurally distinct teosinte A1 Sh2 haplotypes (from Z. mays spp. mexicana Chalco, Z. mays spp. parviglumis, and Z. luxurians) and a common maize a1::rdt sh2 haplotype. In each haplotype >85% of recombination events resolved in the proximal 10% of the approximately 130-kb a1-sh2 interval. Even so, significant differences in the distributions of recombination breakpoints were observed across subintervals among haplotypes. Each of the three previously detected recombination hot spots was detected in at least one of the three teosinte haplotypes and two of these hot spots were not detected in at least one teosinte haplotype. Moreover, novel hot spots were detected in two teosinte haplotypes. Due to the near-isogenic nature of the three stocks, the observed variation in the distribution of recombination events is the consequence of cis-modifications. Although generally negatively correlated with rates of recombination per megabase, levels of sequence polymorphisms do not fully account for the nonrandom distribution of recombination breakpoints. This study also suggests that estimates of linkage disequilibrium must be interpreted with caution when considering whether a gene has been under selection.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

PubMed2005

Temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE)--a tool for the high-throughput discovery and mapping of SNPs and IDPs.

Temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE) can be used to distinguish heteroduplex from homoduplex DNA molecules and can thus be applied to the detection of various types of DNA polymorphisms. Unlike most single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection technologies, TGCE can be used even in the absence of prior knowledge of the sequences of the underlying polymorphisms. TGCE is both sensitive and reliable in detecting SNPs, small InDel (insertion/deletion) polymorphisms (IDPs) and simple sequence repeats, and using this technique it is possible to detect a single SNP in amplicons of over 800 bp and 1-bp IDPs in amplicons of approximately 500 bp. Genotyping data obtained via TGCE are consistent with data obtained via gel-based detection technologies. For genetic mapping experiments, TGCE has a number of advantages over alternative heteroduplex-detection technologies such as celery endonuclease (CELI) and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC). Multiplexing can increase TGCE's throughput to 12 markers on 94 recombinant inbreds per day. Given its ability to efficiently and reliably detect a variety of subtle DNA polymorphisms that occur at high frequency in genes, TGCE shows great promise for discovering polymorphisms and conducting genetic mapping and genotyping experiments.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of five ab initio gene prediction programs for the discovery of maize genes.

Five ab initio programs (FGENESH, GeneMark.hmm, GENSCAN, GlimmerR and Grail) were evaluated for their accuracy in predicting maize genes. Two of these programs, GeneMark.hmm and GENSCAN had been trained for maize; FGENESH had been trained for monocots (including maize), and the others had been trained for rice or Arabidopsis. Initial evaluations were conducted using eight maize genes (gl8a, pdc2, pdc3, rf2c, rf2d, rf2e1, rth1, and rth3) of which the sequences were not released to the public prior to conducting this evaluation. The significant advantage of this data set for this evaluation is that these genes could not have been included in the training sets of the prediction programs. FGENESH yielded the most accurate and GeneMark.hmm the second most accurate predictions. The five programs were used in conjunction with RT-PCR to identify and establish the structures of two new genes in the a1-sh2 interval of the maize genome. FGENESH, GeneMark.hmm and GENSCAN were tested on a larger data set consisting of maize assembled genomic islands (MAGIs) that had been aligned to ESTs. FGENESH, GeneMark.hmm and GENSCAN correctly predicted gene models in 773, 625, and 371 MAGIs, respectively, out of the 1353 MAGIs that comprise data set 2.

Alternative Splicing↗

PubMed2005

Characterization of two GL8 paralogs reveals that the 3-ketoacyl reductase component of fatty acid elongase is essential for maize (Zea mays L.) development.

Prior analyses established that the maize (Zea mays L.) gl8a gene encodes 3-ketoacyl reductase, a component of the fatty acid elongase required for the biosynthesis of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). A paralogous gene, gl8b, has been identified that is 96% identical to gl8a. The gl8a and gl8b genes map to syntenic chromosomal regions, have similar, but not identical, expression patterns, and encode proteins that are 97% identical. Both of these genes are required for the normal accumulation of cuticular waxes on seedling leaves. The chemical composition of the cuticular waxes from gl8a and gl8b mutants indicates that these genes have at least overlapping, if not redundant, functions in cuticular wax biosynthesis. Although gl8a and gl8b double mutant kernels have endosperms that cannot be distinguished from wild-type siblings, these kernels are non-viable because their embryos fail to undergo normal development. Double mutant kernels accumulate substantially reduced levels of VLCFAs. VLCFAs are components of a variety of compounds, for example, cuticular waxes, suberin, and sphingolipids. Consistent with their essential nature in yeast, the accumulation of the ceramide moiety of sphingolipids is substantially reduced and their fatty acid composition altered in gl8a and gl8b double mutant kernels relative to wild-type kernels. Hence, we hypothesize that sphingolipids or other VLCFA-containing compounds are essential for normal embryo development.

3-Oxoacyl-(Acyl-Carrier-Protein) Reductase↗

PubMed2004

MuDR transposase increases the frequency of meiotic crossovers in the vicinity of a Mu insertion in the maize a1 gene.

Although DNA breaks stimulate mitotic recombination in plants, their effects on meiotic recombination are not known. Recombination across a maize a1 allele containing a nonautonomous Mu transposon was studied in the presence and absence of the MuDR-encoded transposase. Recombinant A1' alleles isolated from a1-mum2/a1::rdt heterozygotes arose via either crossovers (32 CO events) or noncrossovers (8 NCO events). In the presence of MuDR, the rate of COs increased fourfold. This increase is most likely a consequence of the repair of MuDR-induced DNA breaks at the Mu1 insertion in a1-mum2. Hence, this study provides the first in vivo evidence that DNA breaks stimulate meiotic crossovers in plants. The distribution of recombination breakpoints is not affected by the presence of MuDR in that 19 of 24 breakpoints isolated from plants that carried MuDR mapped to a previously defined 377-bp recombination hotspot. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that the DNA breaks that initiate recombination at a1 cluster at its 5' end. Conversion tracts associated with eight NCO events ranged in size from <700 bp to >1600 bp. This study also establishes that MuDR functions during meiosis and that ratios of CO/NCO vary among genes and can be influenced by genetic background.

Alleles↗

PubMed2004

Types and frequencies of sequencing errors in methyl-filtered and high c0t maize genome survey sequences.

The Maize Genome Sequencing Consortium has deposited into GenBank more than 850,000 maize (Zea mays) genome survey sequences (GSSs) generated via two gene enrichment strategies, methylation filtration and high-C(0)t (HC) fractionation. These GSSs are a valuable resource for generating genome assemblies and the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms and nearly identical paralogs. Based on the rate of mismatches between 183 GSSs (105 methylation filtration + 78 HC) and 10 control genes, the rate of sequencing errors in these GSSs is 2.3 x 10(-3). As expected many of these errors were derived from insufficient vector trimming and base-calling errors. Surprisingly, however, some errors were due to cloning artifacts. These G.C to A.T transitions are restricted to HC clones; over 40% of HC clones contain at least one such artifact. Because it is not possible to distinguish the cloning artifacts from biologically relevant polymorphisms, HC sequences should be used with caution for the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms or paramorphisms. The average rate of sequencing errors was reduced 6-fold (to 3.6 x 10(-4)) by applying more stringent trimming parameters. This trimming resulted in the loss of only 11% of the bases (15,469/144,968). Due to redundancy among GSSs this more stringent trimming reduced coverage of promoters, exons, and introns by only 0%, 1%, and 4%, respectively. Hence, at the cost of a very modest loss of gene coverage, the quality of these maize GSSs can approach Bermuda standards, even prior to assembly.

DNA, Plant↗

PubMed2004

Picky: oligo microarray design for large genomes.

MOTIVATION: Many large genomes are getting sequenced nowadays. Biologists are eager to start microarray analysis taking advantage of all known genes of a species, but existing microarray design tools were very inefficient for large genomes. Also, many existing tools operate in a batch mode that does not assure best designs. RESULTS: Picky is an efficient oligo microarray design tool for large genomes. Picky integrates novel computer science techniques and the best known nearest-neighbor parameters to quickly identify sequence similarities and estimate their hybridization properties. Oligos designed by Picky are computationally optimized to guarantee the best specificity, sensitivity and uniformity under the given design constrains. Picky can be used to design arrays for whole genomes, or for only a subset of genes. The latter can still be screened against a whole genome to attain the same quality as a whole genome array, thereby permitting low budget, pathway-specific experiments to be conducted with large genomes. Picky is the fastest oligo array design tool currently available to the public, requiring only a few hours to process large gene sets from rice, maize or human.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

A strategy for assembling the maize (Zea mays L.) genome.

UNLABELLED: Because the bulk of the maize (Zea mays L.) genome consists of repetitive sequences, sequencing efforts are being targeted to its 'gene-rich' fraction. Traditional assembly programs are inadequate for this approach because they are optimized for a uniform sampling of the genome and inherently lack the ability to differentiate highly similar paralogs. RESULTS: We report the development of bioinformatics tools for the accurate assembly of the maize genome. This software, which is based on innovative parallel algorithms to ensure scalability, assembled 730,974 genomic survey sequences fragments in 4 h using 64 Pentium III 1.26 GHz processors of a commodity cluster. Algorithmic innovations are used to reduce the number of pairwise alignments significantly without sacrificing quality. Clone pair information was used to estimate the error rate for improved differentiation of polymorphisms versus sequencing errors. The assembly was also used to evaluate the effectiveness of various filtering strategies and thereby provide information that can be used to focus subsequent sequencing efforts.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

Lateral roots affect the proteome of the primary root of maize (Zea mays L.).

Lateral roots are initiated from the pericycle cells of other types of roots and remain in contact with these roots throughout their life span. Although this physical contact has the potential to permit the exchange of signals, little is known about the flow of information from the lateral roots to the primary root. To begin to study these interactions the proteome of the primary root system of the maize (Zea mays L.) lrt1 mutant, which does not initiate lateral roots, was compared with the corresponding proteome of wild-type seedlings 9 days after germination. Approximately 150 soluble root proteins were resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis and analyzed by MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry and database searching. The 96 most abundant proteins from a pH 4-7 gradient were analyzed; 67 proteins representing 47 different Genbank accessions were identified. Interestingly, 10 (15/150) of the detected proteins were preferentially expressed in lrt1 roots that lack lateral roots. Eight of these lrt1-specific proteins were identified and four are involved in lignin metabolism. This study demonstrates for the first time the influence of lateral roots on the proteome of the primary root system. To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate an interaction between two plant organs (viz., lateral and primary roots) at the level of the proteome.

Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional↗

PubMed2004

Global expression profiling applied to plant development.

Plant development is controlled by both endogenous genetic programs and responses to exogenous signals. Microarray experiments are being used to identify the genes involved in these developmental processes. Most of the analyses conducted to date have been conducted on whole organs. Although these studies have provided valuable information, they are limited by the composite nature of plant organs that consist of multiple cell types. Technical advances that have made it possible to study global patterns of gene expression in individual cell types promise to increase greatly the information revealed by microarray experiments.

Flowers↗

PubMed2004

The ALDH gene superfamily of Arabidopsis.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) represent a protein superfamily of NAD(P)(+)-dependent enzymes that oxidize a wide range of endogenous and exogenous aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes. The Arabidopsis genome contains 14 unique ALDH sequences encoding members of nine ALDH families, including eight known families and one novel family (ALDH22) that is currently known only in plants. Here, we identify members of the ALDH gene superfamily in Arabidopsis; provide a revised, unified nomenclature for these ALDH genes; analyze the molecular relationship among Arabidopsis ALDH genes and compare them to ALDH genes from other species, including prokaryotes and mammals; and describe the role of ALDHs in cytoplasmic male sterility, plant defense and abiotic stress tolerance.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2004

Cytoplasmic regulation of the accumulation of nuclear-encoded proteins in the mitochondrial proteome of maize.

Mitochondria from normal (NA)- and Texas (T)-cytoplasm maize (Zea mays L.) were purified from unpollinated ears via Percoll centrifugation. Approximately 300 mitochondrial proteins were resolved using two-dimensional (2-D) electrophoresis. The 197 most abundant proteins were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry involving overlapping pH gradients (pH 4-7 and 6-9). Database searches identified 58 genes that encode 100 of these protein spots. Functions could be predicted for 38 of the 58 genes (66%). All but one of these genes are located in the nuclear genome. Thirteen per cent of the analyzed protein spots (25 out of 197) exhibited at least a threefold difference in accumulation between the mitochondrial proteomes of NA- or T-cytoplasm maize plants that had essentially identical nuclear genomes. As most of these proteins were nuclear-encoded, these findings demonstrate that the genotype of a mitochondrion can regulate the accumulation of the nuclear-encoded fraction of its proteome. About half (27 out of 58) of the maize mitochondrial proteins identified in this study were not recovered in previous analyses of the Arabidopsis and rice mitochondrial proteomes.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed2004

The Etched1 gene of Zea mays (L.) encodes a zinc ribbon protein that belongs to the transcriptionally active chromosome (TAC) of plastids and is similar to the transcription factor TFIIS.

Etched1 (et1) is a pleiotropic, recessive mutation of maize that causes fissured and cracked mature kernels and virescent seedlings. Microscopic examinations of the et1 phenotype revealed an aberrant plastid development in mutant kernels and mutant leaves. Here, we report on the cloning of the et1 gene by transposon tagging, the localization of the gene product in chloroplasts, and its putative function in the plastid transcriptional apparatus. Several alleles of Mutator (Mu)-induced et1 mutants, the et1-reference (et1-R) mutant, and Et1 wild-type were cloned and analyzed at the molecular level. Northern analyses with wild-type plants revealed that Et1 transcripts are present in kernels, leaves, and other types of tissue, and no Et1 expression could be detected in the et1 mutants analyzed. The ET1 protein is imported by chloroplasts and has been immunologically detected in transcriptionally active chromosome (TAC) fractions derived from chloroplasts. Accordingly, the relative transcriptional activity of TAC fractions was significantly reduced in chloroplasts of et1-R plants. ET1 is the first zinc ribbon (ZR) protein shown to be targeted to plastids. With regard to its localization and its striking structural similarity to the eukaryotic transcription elongation factor TFIIS, it is feasible that ET1 functions in plastid transcription elongation by reactivation of arrested RNA polymerases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Alternative transcription initiation sites and polyadenylation sites are recruited during Mu suppression at the rf2a locus of maize.

Even in the absence of excisional loss of the associated Mu transposons, some Mu-induced mutant alleles of maize can lose their capacity to condition a mutant phenotype. Three of five Mu-derived rf2a alleles are susceptible to such Mu suppression. The suppressible rf2a-m9437 allele has a novel Mu transposon insertion (Mu10) in its 5' untranslated region (UTR). The suppressible rf2a-m9390 allele has a Mu1 insertion in its 5' UTR. During suppression, alternative transcription initiation sites flanking the Mu1 transposon yield functional transcripts. The suppressible rf2a-m8110 allele has an rcy/Mu7 insertion in its 3' UTR. Suppression of this allele occurs via a previously unreported mechanism; sequences in the terminal inverted repeats of rcy/Mu7 function as alternative polyadenylation sites such that the suppressed rf2a-m8110 allele yields functional rf2a transcripts. No significant differences were observed in the nucleotide compositions of these alternative polyadenylation sites as compared with 94 other polyadenylation sites from maize genes.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2003

DNA sequence-based "bar codes" for tracking the origins of expressed sequence tags from a maize cDNA library constructed using multiple mRNA sources.

To enhance gene discovery, expressed sequence tag (EST) projects often make use of cDNA libraries produced using diverse mixtures of mRNAs. As such, expression data are lost because the origins of the resulting ESTs cannot be determined. Alternatively, multiple libraries can be prepared, each from a more restricted source of mRNAs. Although this approach allows the origins of ESTs to be determined, it requires the production of multiple libraries. A hybrid approach is reported here. A cDNA library was prepared using 21 different pools of maize (Zea mays) mRNAs. DNA sequence "bar codes" were added during first-strand cDNA synthesis to uniquely identify the mRNA source pool from which individual cDNAs were derived. Using a decoding algorithm that included error correction, it was possible to identify the source mRNA pool of more than 97% of the ESTs. The frequency at which a bar code is represented in an EST contig should be proportional to the abundance of the corresponding mRNA in the source pool. Consistent with this, all ESTs derived from several genes (zein and adh1) that are known to be exclusively expressed in kernels or preferentially expressed under anaerobic conditions, respectively, were exclusively tagged with bar codes associated with mRNA pools prepared from kernel and anaerobically treated seedlings, respectively. Hence, by allowing for the retention of expression data, the bar coding of cDNA libraries can enhance the value of EST projects.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Laser-capture microdissection, a tool for the global analysis of gene expression in specific plant cell types: identification of genes expressed differentially in epidermal cells or vascular tissues of maize.

Laser-capture microdissection (LCM) allows for the one-step procurement of large homogeneous populations of cells from tissue sections. In mammals, LCM has been used to conduct cDNA microarray and proteomics studies on specific cell types. However, LCM has not been applied to plant cells, most likely because plant cell walls make it difficult to separate target cells from surrounding cells and because ice crystals can form in the air spaces between cells when preparing frozen sections. By fixing tissues, using a cryoprotectant before freezing, and using an adhesive-coated slide system, it was possible to capture large numbers (>10,000) of epidermal cells and vascular tissues (vascular bundles and bundle sheath cells) from ethanol:acetic acid-fixed coleoptiles of maize. RNA extracted from these cells was amplified with T7 RNA polymerase and used to hybridize a microarray containing approximately 8800 maize cDNAs. Approximately 250 of these were expressed preferentially in epidermal cells or vascular tissues. These results demonstrate that the combination of LCM and microarrays makes it feasible to conduct high-resolution global gene expression analyses of plants. This approach has the potential to enhance our understanding of diverse plant cell type-specific biological processes.

Aquaporins↗

PubMed2002

Molecular characterization of meiotic recombination across the 140-kb multigenic a1-sh2 interval of maize.

The 140-kb a1-sh2 interval of the maize genome contains at least four genes (a1, yz1, x1, and sh2). Partial sequence analysis of two haplotypes has revealed many single nucleotide polymorphisms and InDel polymorphisms, including several large structural polymorphisms. The physical positions of 101 meiotic recombination breakpoints are not distributed uniformly across the interval and are instead concentrated within three recombination hot spots. Two of these recombination hot spots are genic (a1 and yz1) and one is apparently nongenic. The x1 gene is not a recombination hot spot. Thus, these results suggest that not all hot spots are genes and indicate that not all genes are hot spots. Two of the 101 recombination events arose by means of either noncrossover events involving conversion tract lengths of at least 17 kb or double-crossover events. Only one recombination breakpoint mapped to the approximately 80-kb distal portion of the a1-sh2 interval that contains large amounts of repetitive DNA including retrotransposons; in this region the ratio of genetic to physical distance is less than 0.5% of the genome's average. These results establish that the retrotransposon faction of the maize genome is relatively inert recombinationally.

Alleles↗