BRAHMA ATPase of the SWI/SNF Chromatin Remodeling Complex Acts as a Positive Regulator of Gibberellin-Mediated Responses in Arabidopsis

SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes perform a pivotal function in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants in major SWI/SNF subunits display embryo-lethal or dwarf phenotypes, indicating their critical role in molecular pathways controlling development and growth. As gibberellins (GA) are major positive regulators of plant growth, we wanted to establish whether there is a link between SWI/SNF and GA signaling in Arabidopsis. This study revealed that in brm-1 plants, depleted in SWI/SNF BRAHMA (BRM) ATPase, a number of GA-related phenotypic traits are GA-sensitive and that the loss of BRM results in markedly decreased level of endogenous bioactive GA. Transcriptional profiling of brm-1 and the GA biosynthesis mutant ga1-3, as well as the ga1-3/brm-1 double mutant demonstrated that BRM affects the expression of a large set of GA-responsive genes including genes responsible for GA biosynthesis and signaling. Furthermore, we found that BRM acts as an activator and directly associates with promoters of GA3ox1, a GA biosynthetic gene, and SCL3, implicated in positive regulation of the GA pathway. Many GA-responsive gene expression alterations in the brm-1 mutant are likely due to depleted levels of active GAs. However, the analysis of genetic interactions between BRM and the DELLA GA pathway repressors, revealed that BRM also acts on GA-responsive genes independently of its effect on GA level. Given the central position occupied by SWI/SNF complexes within regulatory networks controlling fundamental biological processes, the identification of diverse functional intersections of BRM with GA-dependent processes in this study suggests a role for SWI/SNF in facilitating crosstalk between GA-mediated regulation and other cellular pathways

The Comparative Economics of Catch-Up in Output per worker, total factor productivity and technological gain in Sub-Saharan Africa

After investigating the effect of external financial flows on total factor productivity and technological gain, we use the beta catch-up and sigma convergence to compare dispersions in output per worker, total factor productivity and technological gain in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the years 1980-2010. The comparative evidence is articulated with income levels, years of schooling, and health factors. We find; first, a positive association between foreign direct investment, trade openness, foreign aid, remittances and total factor productivity. However, when foreign direct investment is interacted with schooling, it is direct effect becomes negative on total factor productivity. Second, beta catch-up is between19.22% and 19.70% per annum with corresponding time to full catch-up of 25.38 years and 26.01 years respectively. Third, we find sigma-convergence among low-income nations and upper-middle income nations separately, but not for the entire sample together. Fourth, schooling in SSA is not yet a significant source of technology, but it can make external financial inflows more effective. Policies to induce external financial flows are not enough for development if absorptive capacity is low. More policy implications are discussed

Improved method of total histone isolation from Arabidopsis thaliana

Standard methods of isolation of chromatin histones from Arabdopsis thaliana yield strongly degraded proteins when applied to plants grown from seeds in axenic liquid media. For isolation of undegraded histones from Arabidopsis grown in liquid media we used extraction with guanidine hydrochloride followed by selective binding of histones on BioRex 70 resin in the batch system. The quality of obtained proteins is confirmed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.</p

Tapetum development in transgenic tobacco [Nicotiana tabacum L.] plants with modified level of histone H1 variants

The phenomenon of male sterility has often been observed in investigations on the role of histone H1 in regulation of morphogenetic and cytological processes in transgenic tobacco plants. These changes were accumulated by disturbances in flower development, consisting in lengthening of the pistil style in relation to stamen heads. This prevented pollination and production of seeds. As similar abnormalities occurred also in the present investigations (depending on combination, the sterility% was 84.4 to 19.9, at only 8.1 in the control), the main problem of our investigations was an attempt to explain their reasons. It is commonly known that one of the conditions for formation of fertile pollen is the properly functioning tapetum. Here, we carried out observations of ultrastructure of anther tapetum control cells in respect of abnormalities which occurred during microsporogenesis of transgenic plants with inactivated expression of two major (A, B) and two minor (C, D) histone H1 variants. The investigations were carried out on the following groups of plants: (1) control group with a full set of histone variants (K), (2) with inactivated A and B variants (-AB); (3) with inactivated A, B, C and D variants (-ABCD), (4) with inactivated C and D variants (-CD). It was found that tapetal development was normal in all the investigated groups of plants, and the sequence of changes was similar as in the control. However, certain ultrastructural differences appeared when tapetum functioned as secretory tissue, and in the degeneration phase. In tapetal cell cytoplasm, with participation of rER, lipid bodies were formed, which, having penetrated to the cell surface and to locules, took part in formation of pollen grain sporoderm. Both in the control and in the remaining combination, excluding -ABCD, these bodies looked similar: they were grey, homogenous and surrounded by black jagged deposits. In -ABCD plants, these bodies were more translucent, slightly rarefied, and not surrounded by the deposits. Moreover, in -CD plants, large lipid deposits were frequently observed between remainders of degraded tapetal cells. They did not occur in the control and the remaining combinations

Influence of change in the proportion of H1 histone variants on microsporogenesis and development of male gametophyte in transgenic plants of tobacco [Nicotiana tabacum L.]

As continuation of investigations in to the mechanism of the role of the H1 histone, which is a crucial protein component chromosomes of all eukaryotes, transgenic tobacco plants with different levels of the H1 histone variants were examined. Tobacco has six sequential variants of the H1 histone: two major ones (H1A and H1B), constituting ca. 90% of all H1, and four minor ones (H1C, H1D, H1E and H1F), occurring in very small quantities. The following groups of plants were examined: K - control group with a full set of histone variants; -AB -with the A and B variants removed; -ABCD - with the A, B, C and D variants removed; and -CD - with the C and D variants removed. The analysis of microsporogenesis in those plants, based on preparations squeezed in acetoorcein, revealed the asynchronous course of meiosis in -AB and -ABCD plants, occurrence of chromosomal aberration, and, consequently, the formation of sterile pollen grains (accordingly: 84,4% and 81,4%). In -CD plants, the percentage of aberration and sterile pollen grains was similar to the control material. Electron microscope observations of microsporogenesis showed ultrastructural changes. In -AB and -ABCD plants, a major portion of the pollen grains were degraded. The smallest number of degraded pollen grains, in comparison with the control, was found in the -CD group