A genome-wide survey of DNA methylation in hexaploid wheat

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is an important mechanism of epigenetic gene expression control that can be passed between generations. Here, we use sodium bisulfite treatment and targeted gene enrichment to study genome-wide methylation across the three sub-genomes of allohexaploid wheat. RESULTS: While the majority of methylation is conserved across all three genomes we demonstrate that differential methylation exists between the sub-genomes in approximately equal proportions. We correlate sub-genome-specific promoter methylation with decreased expression levels and show that altered growing temperature has a small effect on methylation state, identifying a small but functionally relevant set of methylated genes. Finally, we demonstrate long-term methylation maintenance using a comparison between the D sub-genome of hexaploid wheat and its progenitor Aegilops tauschii. CONCLUSIONS: We show that tri-genome methylation is highly conserved with the diploid wheat progenitor while sub-genome-specific methylation shows more variation

Ensembl Genomes 2022: an expanding genome resource for non-vertebrates

Ensembl Genomes (https://www.ensemblgenomes.org) provides access to non-vertebrate genomes and analysis complementing vertebrate resources developed by the Ensembl project (https://www.ensembl.org). The two resources collectively present genome annotation through a consistent set of interfaces spanning the tree of life presenting genome sequence, annotation, variation, transcriptomic data and comparative analysis. Here we present our largest increase in plant, metazoan and fungal genomes since the project’s inception creating one of the world’s most comprehensive genomic resources and describe our efforts to reduce genome redundancy in our Bacteria portal. We also detail our new efforts in gene annotation, our emerging support for pangenome analysis and efforts to accelerate data dissemination through the Ensembl Rapid Release resource. We also present our new AlphaFold visualisation. Finally, we present details of our future plans including updates on our integration with Ensembl, and how we plan to improve our support for the microbial research community. Software and data are made available without restriction via our website, online tools platform and programmatic interfaces (available under an Apache 2.0 license). Data updates are synchronised with Ensembl’s release cycle

Physiological and Psychological Challenges of Increasing Physical Activity and Exercise in Patients at Risk of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Critical Review.

Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are common challenges among individuals at risk of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). While substantial research exists on physical activity interventions in adults with diabetes, those at greatest risk for foot ulceration were often excluded or not well-represented. Both at-risk patients and their clinicians may be hesitant to increase physical activity due to their perception of DFU risks. Physical activity is not contraindicated for those at risk of DFU, yet patients at risk present with unique barriers to initiating increases in physical activity. This review focuses upon the physiological and psychological challenges of increasing physical activity and exercise in patients at risk of DFUs. Offloading, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, depression, pain, self-efficacy and social support, DFU risk-specific beliefs and emotions, and research to date on exercise interventions in this population are all discussed. Additionally, recommendations for implementing and researching physical activity interventions for individuals at risk for DFU are provided

SNPs, InDels, and Microsatellites within and Near to Rice NBS-LRR Resistance Gene Candidates

Plant resistance genes (R-genes) drive the immune responses of crops against specific pathotypes of disease-causing organisms. Over time, genetic diversity in R-genes and R-pseudogenes has arisen among different rice varieties. This bioinformatics study was carried out to (i) predict the full sets of candidate nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NLR) R-genes present in six rice genomes; (ii) detect variation within candidate R-genes; (iii) identify potential selectable markers within and near to LRR genes among 75 diverse indica rice genomes. Four high quality indica genomes, plus the standard japonica and indica reference genomes, were analysed with widely available bioinformatic tools to identify candidate R-genes and R-pseudogenes. They were detected in clusters, consistent with previous studies. BLAST analysis of cloned protein sequences of 31 R-gene loci gave confidence in this approach for detection of cloned NLR R-genes. Approximately 10% of candidate R-genes were located within 1 kb of a microsatellite (SSR) marker. Sequence comparisons among indica rice genomes detected SNPs or InDels in 334 candidate rice R-genes. There were significantly more SNPs and InDels within the identified NLR R-gene candidates than in other types of gene. The genome-wide locations of candidate R-genes and their associated markers are presented here for the potential future development of improved disease-resistant varieties. Limitations of in silico approaches used for R-gene discovery are discussed