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403f: Role of chromosome structure in epigenetic mechanisms of gene expression

Reference	BBS/E/H/00032647
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Graham King
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Warwick
Department	Warwick HRI
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	416,300
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2003
End date	31/03/2005
Duration	24 months

Abstract

The role of chromosome structure in determining plant phenotype remains elusive, particularly in relation to epigenetic effects on developmental plasticity and environmental adaptation. There is increasing evidence that epigenetic mechanisms play a role in regulating key stages of plant development which are subject to environmental perturbation, and hence affect crop quality. Epigenetic gene regulation is often mediated through chromatin remodelling and DNA methylation. We have demonstrated that loci orthologous to the Arabidopsis AP1 and CAL MADS-box genes can account for the arrest and proliferation of floral and inflorescence meristems in Brassica, resulting in the cauliflower curd phenotype. The ap1/cal double mutant of Arabidopsis displays a similar curd. AP1 activation specifies floral meristem identity and is also required for normal development of sepals and petals. In Brassica, the BoAP1-a locus is also involved in intermediate ricey/sepal and bracting phenotypes. The system has some properties consistent with epigenetic regulation, where the developmental transitions being under temperature control. Chromsome O6 contains an inverted duplication, with each segment containing paralogous genes, including BoAP1-a and BoAP1-c. Using Brassica and Arabidopsis experimental resources, our objectives are to a) understand the relationship between chromosome/chromatin structure and temperature regulation of paralogous BoAP1 loci. ; b) Determine the relationship between epigenetic regulation over chromosomal domains differing in genome organisation and chromatin structure. This will involve testing the interaction of temperature and chromatin remodelling genes on expression of AP1 in Arabidopsis; testing the interaction of temperature on paralogous BoAP1 genes in Brassica cauliflower curd; establishing a framework and comparing chromosome/ chromatin structure in contrasting paralogous loci containing BoAP1

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Plant & Microbial Sciences (PMS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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