Estimating the Proportion of True Null Hypotheses for Multiple Comparisons

Whole genome microarray investigations (e.g. differential expression, differential methylation, ChIP-Chip) provide opportunities to test millions of features in a genome. Traditional multiple comparison procedures such as familywise error rate (FWER) controlling procedures are too conservative. Although false discovery rate (FDR) procedures have been suggested as having greater power, the control itself is not exact and depends on the proportion of true null hypotheses. Because this proportion is unknown, it has to be accurately (small bias, small variance) estimated, preferably using a simple calculation that can be made accessible to the general scientific community. We propose an easy-to-implement method and make the R code available, for estimating the proportion of true null hypotheses. This estimate has relatively small bias and small variance as demonstrated by (simulated and real data) comparing it with four existing procedures. Although presented here in the context of microarrays, this estimate is applicable for many multiple comparison situations

Epigenetic Natural Variation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cytosine methylation of repetitive sequences is widespread in plant genomes, occurring in both symmetric (CpG and CpNpG) as well as asymmetric sequence contexts. We used the methylation-dependent restriction enzyme McrBC to profile methylated DNA using tiling microarrays of Arabidopsis Chromosome 4 in two distinct ecotypes, Columbia and Landsberg erecta. We also used comparative genome hybridization to profile copy number polymorphisms. Repeated sequences and transposable elements (TEs), especially long terminal repeat retrotransposons, are densely methylated, but one third of genes also have low but detectable methylation in their transcribed regions. While TEs are almost always methylated, genic methylation is highly polymorphic, with half of all methylated genes being methylated in only one of the two ecotypes. A survey of loci in 96 Arabidopsis accessions revealed a similar degree of methylation polymorphism. Within-gene methylation is heritable, but is lost at a high frequency in segregating F2 families. Promoter methylation is rare, and gene expression is not generally affected by differences in DNA methylation. Small interfering RNA are preferentially associated with methylated TEs, but not with methylated genes, indicating that most genic methylation is not guided by small interfering RNA. This may account for the instability of gene methylation, if occasional failure of maintenance methylation cannot be restored by other means

Epigenomic mapping in Arabidopsis using tiling microarrays

DOI:10.1007/s10577-005-1507-2International audienc

Genomic change during formation of Arabidopsis polyploids

Polyploids are common and arise frequently by genome duplication (autopolyploids) or interspecific hybridization (allopolyploids). Neoallopolyploids display sterility, lethality, phenotypic instability, gene silencing and epigenetic changes. Little is known about the molecular basis of these phenomena, and how much genomic remodeling happens upon allopolyploidization. Extensive genomic remodeling has been documented in wheat, but little remodeling occurs in cotton. Newly synthesized Arabidopsis allopolyploids, which display phenotypic instability and low fertility, displayed several, possibly related mechanisms that can remodel genomes. We detected transcriptional activity of several transposons although their transposition was limited. One represents a new family of conditionally active En-Spm-like transposons of Arabidopsis thaliana, which underwent remodeling of CG methylation upon allopolyploidization. A random amplified fragment length polymorphism survey suggested remodeling at few, specific loci. Meiotic analyses revealed the appearance of chromosomal fragments in a substantial fraction of anther meiocytes. In several individuals produced by hybrids between the synthetic and a natural allopolyploid pollen viability inversely correlated with meiotic instability. Activity of selected DNA transposons and the possibly related chromosomal breaks could cause changes by inducing translocations and rearrangements

High-density haplotyping with microarray-based expression and single feature polymorphism markers in Arabidopsis

Expression microarrays hybridized with RNA can simultaneously provide both phenotypic (gene expression) and genotypic (marker) data. We developed two types of genetic markers from Affymetrix GeneChip expression data to generate detailed haplotypes for 148 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Bayreuth and Shahdara. Gene expression markers (GEMs) are based on differences in transcript levels that exhibit bimodal distributions in segregating progeny, while single feature polymorphism (SFP) markers rely on differences in hybridization to individual oligonucleotide probes. Unlike SFPs, GEMs can be derived from any type of DNA-based expression microarray. Our method identifies SFPs independent of a gene’s expression level. Alleles for each GEM and SFP marker were ascertained with GeneChip data from parental accessions as well as RILs; a novel algorithm for allele determination using RIL distributions capitalized on the high level of genetic replication per locus. GEMs and SFP markers provided robust markers in 187 and 968 genes, respectively, which allowed estimation of gene order consistent with that predicted from the Col-0 genomic sequence. Using microarrays on a population to simultaneously measure gene expression variation and obtain genotypic data for a linkage map will facilitate expression QTL analyses without the need for separate genotyping. We have demonstrated that gene expression measurements from microarrays can be leveraged to identify polymorphisms across the genome and can be efficiently developed into genetic markers that are verifiable in a large segregating RIL population. Both marker types also offer opportunities for massively parallel mapping in unsequenced and less studied species

Genetic linkage between a sexually selected trait and X chromosome meiotic drive

Previous studies on the stalk-eyed fly, Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni, have shown that males with long eye-stalks win contests and are preferred by females, and artificial selection on male relative eye span alters brood sex-ratios. Subsequent theory proposes that X-linked meiotic drive can catalyse the evolution of mate preferences when drive is linked to ornament genes. Here we test this prediction by mapping meiotic drive and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for eye span. To map QTL we genotyped 24 microsatellite loci using 1228 F2 flies from two crosses between lines selected for long or short eye span. The crosses differed by presence or absence of a drive X chromosome, X(D), in the parental male. Linkage analysis reveals that X(D) dramatically reduces recombination between X and X(D) chromosomes. In the X(D) cross, half of the F2 males carried the drive haplotype, produced partially elongated spermatids and female-biased broods, and had shorter eye span. The largest QTL mapped 1.3 cM from drive on the X chromosome and explained 36% of the variation in male eye span while another QTL mapped to an autosomal region that suppresses drive. These results indicate that selfish genetic elements that distort the sex-ratio can influence the evolution of exaggerated traits