Epigenetic regulation of sexual lineage development in plants
Lead Research Organisation:
John Innes Centre
Department Name: Cell and Develop Biology
Abstract
A key characteristic of life is the ability to reproduce. Reproductive strategies are major contributors to evolutionary fitness and can vary substantially between species. Like humans, most flowering plants reproduce sexually by mating with another individual; however, unlike humans, plants typically possess both male and female organs, and many plant species, including major crops, are capable of self-fertilization. Sexual reproduction in flowering plants is important to mankind as it produces the seeds that comprise most of our staple food. With decreasing arable land, an exploding population and global climate change, feeding the world in the 21st century will require a step-change in the efficiency of seed production, and this can only come from a deeper understanding of plant reproductive development.
Sexual reproduction in plants is carried out by two highly specialized families of cells, here called the male and female sexual lineages (SLs). A fundamental but still unresolved question that has always fascinated me is how SL function and fate are installed and maintained precisely in these cell lineages. My DPhil and postdoctoral studies focused on how genetic and 'epigenetic' pathways contribute to SL function and fertility. 'Epigenetic' regulation - such as DNA methylation - is named after its ability to alter gene expression by modifying the state of DNA without changing its genetic sequence. Recently, I discovered that the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway regulates SL development in Arabidopsis plants by controlling the expression of several hundred genes. Consistent with the importance of the RdDM pathway in SL development, its mutations cause defects in SL development in both Arabidopsis and maize.
My proposed research integrates plant developmental, molecular, genetics and epigenetics biology to investigate how RdDM installs reproductive function and fate in the male SL of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. To detect changes in the DNA methylation and gene expression, I have developed state-of-the-art techniques such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting and micromanipulation to isolate all types of male SL cells to high purity. I will use whole-genome sequencing of these SL cells from RdDM mutants to pinpoint the function of the SL-specific RdDM pathway, and a combination of genetics and developmental biology to determine how the genes controlled by the SL-specific RdDM regulate SL development. Finally, through a combination of genomics, developmental biology and mutant screens, I will decipher the mechanism by which RdDM is directed to genes in the SL.
This multi-disciplinary program of work will deepen our understanding of male SL development and function by identifying a number of key genetic and epigenetic regulators. Due to the significant parallels between male and female SL development, and because discoveries in the model plant Arabidopsis have been routinely translated into major crops such as rice and maize, these insights will be widely applicable and may be used to improve crop fertility and yield. At a more generic level, my work will demonstrate, for the first time, how epigenetic pathways can be tailored in a specific lineage of cells to convey precise biological functions. This kind of developmental regulation likely affects many biological processes in a wide range of cell types and tissues. I therefore believe that my work will lay a foundation for the study of epigenetic regulation of plant development. Many DNA methylation mechanisms are highly conserved between Arabidopsis and mammals, and recent evidence points to a role for DNA methylation in directing the differentiation of human cell lines. Insights from this work thus have the potential to shed light on the regulation of lineage development by DNA methylation in mammals, which is important to combat DNA methylation-related human diseases such as cancer.
Sexual reproduction in plants is carried out by two highly specialized families of cells, here called the male and female sexual lineages (SLs). A fundamental but still unresolved question that has always fascinated me is how SL function and fate are installed and maintained precisely in these cell lineages. My DPhil and postdoctoral studies focused on how genetic and 'epigenetic' pathways contribute to SL function and fertility. 'Epigenetic' regulation - such as DNA methylation - is named after its ability to alter gene expression by modifying the state of DNA without changing its genetic sequence. Recently, I discovered that the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway regulates SL development in Arabidopsis plants by controlling the expression of several hundred genes. Consistent with the importance of the RdDM pathway in SL development, its mutations cause defects in SL development in both Arabidopsis and maize.
My proposed research integrates plant developmental, molecular, genetics and epigenetics biology to investigate how RdDM installs reproductive function and fate in the male SL of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. To detect changes in the DNA methylation and gene expression, I have developed state-of-the-art techniques such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting and micromanipulation to isolate all types of male SL cells to high purity. I will use whole-genome sequencing of these SL cells from RdDM mutants to pinpoint the function of the SL-specific RdDM pathway, and a combination of genetics and developmental biology to determine how the genes controlled by the SL-specific RdDM regulate SL development. Finally, through a combination of genomics, developmental biology and mutant screens, I will decipher the mechanism by which RdDM is directed to genes in the SL.
This multi-disciplinary program of work will deepen our understanding of male SL development and function by identifying a number of key genetic and epigenetic regulators. Due to the significant parallels between male and female SL development, and because discoveries in the model plant Arabidopsis have been routinely translated into major crops such as rice and maize, these insights will be widely applicable and may be used to improve crop fertility and yield. At a more generic level, my work will demonstrate, for the first time, how epigenetic pathways can be tailored in a specific lineage of cells to convey precise biological functions. This kind of developmental regulation likely affects many biological processes in a wide range of cell types and tissues. I therefore believe that my work will lay a foundation for the study of epigenetic regulation of plant development. Many DNA methylation mechanisms are highly conserved between Arabidopsis and mammals, and recent evidence points to a role for DNA methylation in directing the differentiation of human cell lines. Insights from this work thus have the potential to shed light on the regulation of lineage development by DNA methylation in mammals, which is important to combat DNA methylation-related human diseases such as cancer.
Technical Summary
In flowering plants, reproduction is carried out by two specialized cellular sexual lineages (SLs). SLs initiate as meiocytes, each producing four spores via meiosis; these spores then divide and differentiate into gametes and their companion cells. Although past studies have identified a network of genes required for SL function, the genes required for the initiation of SLs are few, and it is unknown how these few genes execute the massive shift of transcription repertoire in the transition between somatic and reproductive development.
My preliminary studies suggest that a SL-specific RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM) promotes male SL development by regulating the expression of key reproductive and somatic genes, with RdDM mutations causing meiotic defects. In this proposal I will investigate the mechanism by which male SL development is regulated by the SL-specific RdDM in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. First, I will use reverse genetics and Illumina sequencing to precisely determine the effect of RdDM on the SL-specific expression of genes in the 4 types of male SL cells, and will explore how RdDM regulates SL development through these genes by characterizing the functions of two novel candidate genes. Second, I will decipher the mechanism underlying SL-specific RdDM activity using a combination of genomic, forward genetic and developmental biology approaches to identify novel SL-specific proteins and non-coding RNAs that target RdDM.
My proposed research will lead to the discovery of novel genetic and epigenetic regulators of SL development and function, which can be exploited to improve crop yield. My work will also greatly expand our knowledge of epigenetic regulation of plant development, as it demonstrates, for the first time, how a DNA methylation mechanism is adapted by a specific lineage of cells to promote their biological function - a mode of regulation that will likely be relevant to developmental processes outside the SL.
My preliminary studies suggest that a SL-specific RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM) promotes male SL development by regulating the expression of key reproductive and somatic genes, with RdDM mutations causing meiotic defects. In this proposal I will investigate the mechanism by which male SL development is regulated by the SL-specific RdDM in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. First, I will use reverse genetics and Illumina sequencing to precisely determine the effect of RdDM on the SL-specific expression of genes in the 4 types of male SL cells, and will explore how RdDM regulates SL development through these genes by characterizing the functions of two novel candidate genes. Second, I will decipher the mechanism underlying SL-specific RdDM activity using a combination of genomic, forward genetic and developmental biology approaches to identify novel SL-specific proteins and non-coding RNAs that target RdDM.
My proposed research will lead to the discovery of novel genetic and epigenetic regulators of SL development and function, which can be exploited to improve crop yield. My work will also greatly expand our knowledge of epigenetic regulation of plant development, as it demonstrates, for the first time, how a DNA methylation mechanism is adapted by a specific lineage of cells to promote their biological function - a mode of regulation that will likely be relevant to developmental processes outside the SL.
Planned Impact
The outcomes of this research will be of significant benefit to farmers and plant breeders as it directly relates to crop yield, and thereby to the UK public in general. My chosen model organism, Arabidopsis thaliana, belongs to an economically important plant family, Brassicaceae, with many crops such as rapeseed and cabbage. Given the conservation of reproductive development regulation between Arabidopsis, Brassicaceae plants and other major crops such as rice and maize, findings from this research have the potential to improve crop yield that is of interest for agricultural biotechnology and plant breeding companies, and to enable production of male-sterility lines invaluable for plant breeders. The commercial exploitation of potential findings can eventually benefit farmers, and in the long run, the general UK public by contributing to UK's economical competitiveness.
Global warming poses threats to agricultural productivity in many aspects. During the flowering plant life cycle, the reproductive phase, especially on the male side, is one of the most sensitive to hot or cold temperature stresses. Sterility and barren seed set can be caused by even a single hot day or cold night in many crops such as tomato and maize. In particular, my proposed work focuses on the male reproductive development regulation by a specific DNA methylation pathway, the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM). Recent implication of RdDM in heat tolerance indicates outputs from my research might provide insights into the mechanism underlying the impairment of male fertility by elevated temperature, with potential applications in developing novel approaches for protecting crop fertility facing weather extremes, which are expected to be more frequent globally and in the UK.
Plant breeding combined with biotechnology plays a major role in agricultural improvement. Besides explicit findings of new genes and non-coding RNAs that control reproductive development, this proposed research will generate a wealth of methylomic and transcriptomic data on 4 essential reproductive cell types. These data are not only invaluable for scientists, but may also be used by breeders and the agrobiotech industry as markers for breeding or research, which in the long term will impact positively on agricultural productivity and UK's economy.
Elucidating the mechanism of a basic epigenetic pathway, RdDM, this proposed research has impacts beyond crop improvement. In humans, an analogue of a plant RdDM component, Hiwi protein, and its associating DNA hypermethylation are linked with cancers. It is thus conceivable that insights generated from this proposed work may facilitate our understanding of the role of Hiwi-associated DNA methylation in cancer, which can be translated to promote public health and quality of life.
In summary, the proposed project will have strong social and economic impacts involving food security, economic competitiveness and public health, owing to the important relevance of reproductive development to crop yield, and the emerging significance of epigenetic mechanisms on a range of biological processes in plants and mammals.
Global warming poses threats to agricultural productivity in many aspects. During the flowering plant life cycle, the reproductive phase, especially on the male side, is one of the most sensitive to hot or cold temperature stresses. Sterility and barren seed set can be caused by even a single hot day or cold night in many crops such as tomato and maize. In particular, my proposed work focuses on the male reproductive development regulation by a specific DNA methylation pathway, the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM). Recent implication of RdDM in heat tolerance indicates outputs from my research might provide insights into the mechanism underlying the impairment of male fertility by elevated temperature, with potential applications in developing novel approaches for protecting crop fertility facing weather extremes, which are expected to be more frequent globally and in the UK.
Plant breeding combined with biotechnology plays a major role in agricultural improvement. Besides explicit findings of new genes and non-coding RNAs that control reproductive development, this proposed research will generate a wealth of methylomic and transcriptomic data on 4 essential reproductive cell types. These data are not only invaluable for scientists, but may also be used by breeders and the agrobiotech industry as markers for breeding or research, which in the long term will impact positively on agricultural productivity and UK's economy.
Elucidating the mechanism of a basic epigenetic pathway, RdDM, this proposed research has impacts beyond crop improvement. In humans, an analogue of a plant RdDM component, Hiwi protein, and its associating DNA hypermethylation are linked with cancers. It is thus conceivable that insights generated from this proposed work may facilitate our understanding of the role of Hiwi-associated DNA methylation in cancer, which can be translated to promote public health and quality of life.
In summary, the proposed project will have strong social and economic impacts involving food security, economic competitiveness and public health, owing to the important relevance of reproductive development to crop yield, and the emerging significance of epigenetic mechanisms on a range of biological processes in plants and mammals.
Organisations
- John Innes Centre (Fellow, Lead Research Organisation)
- University of California, Berkeley (Collaboration)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (Collaboration)
- Universität Hamburg (Collaboration)
- Tokyo Metropolitan University (Collaboration)
- Seoul National University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- French National Institute of Agricultural Research (Collaboration)
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Xiaoqi Feng (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Ding P
(2021)
Chromatin accessibility landscapes activated by cell-surface and intracellular immune receptors.
in Journal of experimental botany
He S
(2022)
DNA methylation dynamics during germline development.
in Journal of integrative plant biology
Hsieh PH
(2016)
Arabidopsis male sexual lineage exhibits more robust maintenance of CG methylation than somatic tissues.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Johnson KC
(2015)
The Chromatin Remodeler SPLAYED Negatively Regulates SNC1-Mediated Immunity.
in Plant & cell physiology
Lawrence E
(2019)
Natural Variation in TBP-ASSOCIATED FACTOR 4b Controls Meiotic Crossover and Germline Transcription in Arabidopsis
in Current Biology
Long J
(2021)
Nurse cell--derived small RNAs define paternal epigenetic inheritance in Arabidopsis.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Manavella P
(2023)
Beyond transcription: compelling open questions in plant RNA biology
in The Plant Cell
Description | We find that a fundamental epigenetic pathway, RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM), is tailored in plant sexual lineage cells to promote reproductive function and fate. This is the first time that a canonical DNA methylation pathway has been found to be regulated specifically in specific cell types to promote cellular function by gene regulation. We discovered a novel mode of meiotic recombination control via a meiocyte-specific (meiocyte, the cell going through meiosis) subunit of the general RNA polymerase II transcription factor TFIID. We revealed the transcriptionally reactivated TEs in the pollen vegetative cells and demonstrated that the vast majority of TE activation is mediated by the demethylase DME, which gains access to heterochromatic TEs due to the natural lack of linker histone H1 in the vegetative cell. |
Exploitation Route | As most of our staple food comes from the fertilization product of plant sexual reproduction (seeds), this research project on the epigenetic regulation of male sexual reproductive development will have important impact on crop yield. In addition, male sterility, a phenotype caused by misregulation of male reproductive function, is an important trait for plant breeders as it assists the generation of hybrids by evading the need for laborious emasculation. This research will lead to the discovery of a number of genetic and epigenetic regulators of male reproductive development in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Given the considerable homology in reproductive development regulation between male and female organs, and between Arabidopsis and major crops such as rice and maize, there will be opportunities for translating outcomes of this research into commercial applications in agriculture and plant breeding. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment |
URL | https://www.jic.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2017/12/immortal-plant-cells/ |
Description | Our study showed for the first time that a de novo DNA methylation pathway can be employed to regulate cell-specific gene expression and cellular development in plants. This highlights the potential of using this pathway to regulate gene expression for crop improvement, and also shows the potential of the de novo methylation pathway to play a role in animal development, which has applications in combatting human diseases. I have presented our result in a Science Innovation Showcase event open to the industries, which showed interest and I believe recognized the potential. |
First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Healthcare |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | BBSRC DTP Studentship |
Amount | £90,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2016 |
End | 09/2020 |
Description | BBSRC Responsive Mode |
Amount | £779,224 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/S009620/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 03/2022 |
Description | EMBO Young Investigator |
Amount | € 15,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Molecular Biology Organisation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | Germany |
Start | 01/2019 |
End | 12/2022 |
Description | European Research Council Starting Grant |
Amount | € 1,500,000 (EUR) |
Organisation | European Research Council (ERC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | Belgium |
Start | 08/2018 |
End | 08/2023 |
Description | Gatsby Grant to Exceptional Researchers |
Amount | £35,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Gatsby Charitable Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2018 |
End | 04/2019 |
Description | Gatsby PhD Studentship |
Amount | £107,494 (GBP) |
Organisation | Gatsby Charitable Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2015 |
End | 09/2019 |
Description | JIC / CAS (Centre of Excellence in Plant and Microbial Science - CEPAMS) |
Amount | £99,679 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2015 |
End | 08/2017 |
Description | JIC Institute Development Grant |
Amount | £25,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | John Innes Centre |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2015 |
End | 06/2016 |
Description | John Innes Foundation PhD Studentship |
Amount | £105,206 (GBP) |
Organisation | John Innes Centre |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2015 |
End | 08/2018 |
Title | Bisulfite and RNA sequencing library preparation using small number of plant cells |
Description | We and our collaborators at University of Hamburg have modified the published animal single-cell bisulfite and RNA sequencing libary preparation protocols to prepare bisulfite and RNA sequencing libraries from as low as 20 Arabidopsis cells |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Allow the obtainment of methylome and transcriptome from rare cells |
Title | Isolation of plant cells via FACS |
Description | We have developed robust method for protoplasting in Arabidopsis and isolating protoplasts via FACS |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2016 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Allows researchers to obtain cells of a specific cell/tissue type, in order to understand their transcriptome, genome or epigenome. |
Description | Christine Mezard |
Organisation | French National Institute of Agricultural Research |
Department | INRA Versailles |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are evaluating the effect of AXR1 on the DNA methylation in male meiocytes |
Collaborator Contribution | They identified the AXR1 gene, whose mutation affects recombination during meiosis and generally the DNA methylome in somatic tissues. |
Impact | This has led to a publication in Plos Genetics in 2020. Meiotic crossovers (COs) are important for reshuffling genetic information between homologous chromosomes and they are essential for their correct segregation. COs are unevenly distributed along chromosomes and the underlying mechanisms controlling CO localization are not well understood. We previously showed that meiotic COs are mis-localized in the absence of AXR1, an enzyme involved in the neddylation/rubylation protein modification pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we report that in axr1-/-, male meiocytes show a strong defect in chromosome pairing whereas the formation of the telomere bouquet is not affected. COs are also redistributed towards subtelomeric chromosomal ends where they frequently form clusters, in contrast to large central regions depleted in recombination. The CO suppressed regions correlate with DNA hypermethylation of transposable elements (TEs) in the CHH context in axr1-/- meiocytes. Through examining somatic methylomes, we found axr1-/- affects DNA methylation in a plant, causing hypermethylation in all sequence contexts (CG, CHG and CHH) in TEs. Impairment of the main pathways involved in DNA methylation is epistatic over axr1-/- for DNA methylation in somatic cells but does not restore regular chromosome segregation during meiosis. Collectively, our findings reveal that the neddylation pathway not only regulates hormonal perception and CO distribution but is also, directly or indirectly, a major limiting pathway of TE DNA methylation in somatic cells. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Egg and central cell methylomes |
Organisation | Seoul National University |
Department | Department of Biological Sciences |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I designed the experiment together with my collaborators, and I and my team did all the genome analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | UC Berkeley and Seoul National University isolated the egg and central cells from Arabidopsis, UC Berkeley and Tokyo Metropolitan University isolated these from rice, Hamburg University performed bisulfite sequencing library preparation |
Impact | Park et al. 2016 PNAS 113(52):15138-15143 |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Egg and central cell methylomes |
Organisation | Tokyo Metropolitan University |
Country | Japan |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I designed the experiment together with my collaborators, and I and my team did all the genome analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | UC Berkeley and Seoul National University isolated the egg and central cells from Arabidopsis, UC Berkeley and Tokyo Metropolitan University isolated these from rice, Hamburg University performed bisulfite sequencing library preparation |
Impact | Park et al. 2016 PNAS 113(52):15138-15143 |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Egg and central cell methylomes |
Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
Department | Department of Plant and Microbial Biology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I designed the experiment together with my collaborators, and I and my team did all the genome analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | UC Berkeley and Seoul National University isolated the egg and central cells from Arabidopsis, UC Berkeley and Tokyo Metropolitan University isolated these from rice, Hamburg University performed bisulfite sequencing library preparation |
Impact | Park et al. 2016 PNAS 113(52):15138-15143 |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Egg and central cell methylomes |
Organisation | University of Hamburg |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I designed the experiment together with my collaborators, and I and my team did all the genome analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | UC Berkeley and Seoul National University isolated the egg and central cells from Arabidopsis, UC Berkeley and Tokyo Metropolitan University isolated these from rice, Hamburg University performed bisulfite sequencing library preparation |
Impact | Park et al. 2016 PNAS 113(52):15138-15143 |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | JIC-CAS CEPAMS grant |
Organisation | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
Department | Institute of Genetics & Developmental Biology |
Country | China |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I came up with the idea and hypothesis, and designed the experimental strategy. Upon receiving the funding, I employed a postdoc who is performing the major epigenetics and biochemistry work for this joint project. |
Collaborator Contribution | My partners in the Chinese Academy of Science bring the mass spectrometry expertise that is required for the joint project. |
Impact | N/A |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Meiosis-specific TFIID in promoting recombination |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We found a TFIID component is meiocyte specifically expressed, and performed meiocyte extraction and RNA-seq with wildtype and mutants. |
Collaborator Contribution | Identification of the allele and recombination phenotyping |
Impact | This has led to a publication in Current Biology in 2019. Meiotic crossover frequency varies within genomes, which influences genetic diversity and adaptation. In turn, genetic variation within populations can act to modify crossover frequency in cis and trans. To identify genetic variation that controls meiotic crossover frequency we screened Arabidopsis accessions using fluorescent recombination reporters. We mapped a genetic modifier of crossover frequency in Col×Bur populations of Arabidopsis to a premature stop codon within TBP-ASSOCIATED FACTOR 4b (TAF4b), which encodes a subunit of the RNA polymerase II general transcription factor TFIID. The Arabidopsis taf4b mutation is a rare variant found in the British Isles, originating in South-West Ireland. Using genetics, genomics and immunocytology we demonstrate a genome-wide decrease in taf4b crossovers, with strongest reduction in the sub-telomeric regions. Using RNA-seq from purified meiocytes, we show that TAF4b expression is meiocyte-enriched, whereas its paralog TAF4 is broadly expressed. Consistent with the role of TFIID in promoting gene expression, RNA-seq of wild type and taf4b meiocytes identified widespread transcriptional changes, including in genes that regulate the meiotic cell cycle and recombination. Therefore, TAF4b duplication is associated with acquisition of meiocyte-specific expression and promotion of germline transcription, which acts directly or indirectly to elevate crossovers. This identifies a novel mode of meiotic recombination control via a general transcription factor. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Methylomes of megaspore mother cells |
Organisation | National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity |
Country | Mexico |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We designed the experiemnts together with our collaborator, prepared and sequenced the libraries, and analysed the data. |
Collaborator Contribution | They isolated the megaspore mother cells from wild type Arabidopsis and mutants |
Impact | A publication by mid 2018 |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Robust maintenance of CG methylation in pollen |
Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
Department | Department of Plant and Microbial Biology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We designed and performed the experiments, and analysed data. |
Collaborator Contribution | UC Berkeley contributed to data analysis. |
Impact | Hsieh et al. 2016 PNAS 113(52):15132-15137 |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | ASM poster |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | PhD student Billy Aldridge presented a poster on the JIC annual science meeting, which sparked lots of interest and discussion. He won the runner-up award, and an opportunity for presenting his research orally during the annual science meeting next year (2018) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Interview about career pathways in science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | In an interview filmed by the Communications Team at JIC, I talked about my career path and experiences, mainly targetting young people interested in science. The video was released on the International Women's Day in 2022, on JIC website (and Twitter) and YouTube. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.jic.ac.uk/blog/career-pathways-in-science/ |
Description | Science Innovation Showcase |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | An event showcasing John Innes Centre science to industry, aiming to develop and promote new relationships between scientists and industry, breaking down any barriers and enabling productive collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.jic.ac.uk/news-and-events/whats-on/science-innovation-showcase/ |