Award details

Nuclear organization of the Polycomb target FLC during the cold-induced epigenetic silencing of vernalization

Reference	BBS/E/J/000CA494
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Dame Caroline Dean
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Peter Shaw
Institution	John Innes Centre
Department	John Innes Centre Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	298,115
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	04/03/2013
End date	03/03/2016
Duration	36 months

Abstract

We will exploit the genetic and molecular tools we have developed for the analysis of vernalization to explore the functional interconnection between nuclear organization and epigenetic silencing. This is an emerging area of investigation in the regulation of gene expression in many organisms. The target of vernalization, the FLC gene, has been tagged with a lacO array and detected using live cell imaging in root nuclei. We can combine analysis of the nuclear organization of FLC using this live imaging technique with the detailed genetic and molecular understanding of the cold-induced Polycomb silencing that we have previously characterized for FLC. This system should allow us to unpick the relative importance of these different aspects of gene silencing. We will further characterize the live imaging system for FLC-lacO and then undertake specific experiments to address the questions: 1) What genetic components are required for the FLC-lacO clustering? 2) Is clustering dependent on the different non-coding transcripts associated with FLC epigenetic silencing? 3) Is clustering a manifestation of increased nucleation during the cold? 4) Is the clustering epigenetically stable? 5) Do broader chromosomal interactions occur during vernalization? The question of whether the observed clustering is a reflection of a broader set of chromosomal interactions at FLC will be addressed using 4C, a modification of the 3C chromatin conformation capture technique that allows high throughput analysis analyzing interactions of one locus with many others in the genome. This will inform about interactions of FLC with other genomic loci before, during and after the cold period, and add to our understanding of the relationship of chromosomal domains and changes in gene expression. This work will inform generally about how nuclear organization intersects with the dynamic sequence of events (eg. histone modifications and non-coding RNA) involved in epigenetic silencing mechanisms.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Plant Science
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

I accept the terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)

export PDF file

back to list new search