Celia Baroux on the ‘Spatial analysis of nuclear signal distribution using Imaris and DataViz’

Celia Baroux from the University of Zurich is an expert user of IMARIS software and she has taken this expertise in order to develop the DataViz software

Dr Celia Baroux introduces the background and state of the art in the knowledge about Linker Histone in plants.

Dr Celia Baroux is a world leader on the biology of Linker Histone in plants. Here she provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge about the function of linker histones in Arabidopsis thaliana. She challenges a current model and highlights the research needed to gain a better understanding of their specific functions

The Armadillo repeat gene ZAK IXIK promotes Arabidopsis early embryo and endosperm development through a distinctive gametophytic maternal effect

The proper balance of parental genomic contributions to the fertilized embryo and endosperm is essential for their normal growth and development. The characterization of many gametophytic maternal effect (GME) mutants affecting seed development indicates that there are certain classes of genes with a predominant maternal contribution. We present a detailed analysis of the GME mutant zak ixik (zix), which displays delayed and arrested growth at the earliest stages of embryo and endosperm development. ZIX encodes an Armadillo repeat (Arm) protein highly conserved across eukaryotes. Expression studies revealed that ZIX manifests a GME through preferential maternal expression in the early embryo and endosperm. This parent-of-origin-dependent expression is regulated by neither the histone and DNA methylation nor the DNA demethylation pathways known to regulate some other GME mutants. The ZIX protein is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells in reproductive tissues and actively dividing root zones. The maternal ZIX allele is required for the maternal expression of miniseed3. Collectively, our results reveal a reproductive function of plant Arm proteins in promoting early seed growth, which is achieved through a distinct GME of ZIX that involves mechanisms for maternal allele-specific expression that are independent of the well-established pathways

Linker histones are fine-scale chromatin architects modulating developmental decisions in Arabidopsis

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