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Abstract Understanding gene regulatory networks is essential to elucidate developmental processes and environmental responses. Here, we studied regulation of a maize (Zea mays) transcription factor gene using designer transcription activator-like effectors (dTALes), which are synthetic Type III TALes of the bacterial genus Xanthomonas and serve as inducers of disease susceptibility gene transcription in host cells. The maize pathogen Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum was used to introduce 2 independent dTALes into maize cells to induced expression of the gene glossy3 (gl3), which encodes a MYB transcription factor involved in biosynthesis of cuticular wax. RNA-seq analysis of leaf samples identified, in addition to gl3, 146 genes altered in expression by the 2 dTALes. Nine of the 10 genes known to be involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis were upregulated by at least 1 of the 2 dTALes. A gene previously unknown to be associated with gl3, Zm00001d017418, which encodes aldehyde dehydrogenase, was also expressed in a dTALe-dependent manner. A chemically induced mutant and a CRISPR-Cas9 mutant of Zm00001d017418 both exhibited glossy leaf phenotypes, indicating that Zm00001d017418 is involved in biosynthesis of cuticular waxes. Bacterial protein delivery of dTALes proved to be a straightforward and practical approach for the analysis and discovery of pathway-specific genes in maize.
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Genetic Mapping and Phenotypic Analysis of GstE14E.4.1 on Eye and Antennae Development in Drosophila melanogaster
Genetic screens are valuable for identifying novel genes involved in the regulation of developmental processes. To identify genes associated with cell growth regulation in Drosophila melanogaster, a mutagenesis screen was performed. Undergraduate students participating in Fly-CURE phenotypically characterized the E.4.1 mutant which is associated with rough eyes and antennae overgrowth. Following complementation analysis and subsequent genomic sequencing, E.4.1 was identified as a novel mutant allele of GstE14, a gene involved in ecdysone biosynthesis important for the timing of developmental events. The abnormal eye and antenna phenotypes observed resulting from the loss of GstE14 suggest its role in tissue growth.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021146
- PAR ID:
- 10543604
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Publisher / Repository:
- microPublication Biology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- microPublication biology
- ISSN:
- 2578-9430
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001019
