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Course, academic year 2023/2024
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Plant Epigenetics - MB120P172
Title: Plant Epigenetics
Czech title: Epigenetika rostlin
Guaranteed by: Department of Botany (31-120)
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Actual: from 2022
Semester: winter
E-Credits: 4
Examination process: winter s.:
Hours per week, examination: winter s.:2/4, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: 20
Min. number of students: 5
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Additional information: https://lab-allience.natur.cuni.cz/plantreproevo/teaching/epigenetics
Note: enabled for web enrollment
Guarantor: doc. Clément Lafon Placette, Dr.
Teacher(s): Mgr. Vojtěch Čermák, Ph.D.
RNDr. Lukáš Fischer, Ph.D.
doc. Clément Lafon Placette, Dr.
Iris Sammarco, Ph.D.
Annotation -
Last update: Mgr. Michal Štefánek (22.05.2019)
Content:
After the major scientific advances in epigenetics during the last decade, it is now clear that epigenetic
mechanisms play an important role in gene regulation, genome integrity, phenotypic plasticity, reproduction, and
even evolution with the stable transmission of certain epigenetic marks over generations. This role seems even
exacerbated in plants, sessile organisms that cannot escape environmental changes and stresses, and therefore
evolved molecular mechanisms to cope with such constraints. The aim of this course is to deliver the current
knowledge on plant epigenetics, its role in gene regulation, transposable elements silencing, stress response and
its stable transmission through mitosis and even meiosis. It will involve theoretical lectures by internal and external
experts. The practical classes will be based on research cases and will include biochemistry, molecular biology
and bioinformatics.
Aim of the course
Last update: Mgr. Michal Štefánek (22.05.2019)

Learning outcomes: At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

  • explain the mechanisms influencing the chromatin structure and its consequences on gene expression in plants.
  • describe the role of epigenetics in plant development, response to environment, reproduction and evolution.
  • perform experiments aiming at identifying epigenetic marks and analyze related data.

Literature -
Last update: doc. Clément Lafon Placette, Dr. (29.10.2019)

Lämke, J., and Bäurle, I. (2017). Epigenetic and chromatin-based mechanisms in environmental stress adaptation and stress memory in plants. Genome Biol 18:124. doi 10.1186/s13059-017-1263-6.

Matzke MA, Kanno T, Matzke AJM. (2015). RNA-Directed DNA Methylation: The Evolution of a Complex Epigenetic Pathway in Flowering Plants. Annual Review of Plant Biology 66: 243–267.

Ojolo, S.P., Cao, S., Priyadarshani, S.V.G.N., Li, W., Yan, M., Aslam, M., Zhao, H., and Qin, Y. (2018). Regulation of Plant Growth and Development: A Review From a Chromatin Remodeling Perspective. Frontiers in Plant Science 9:1232. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01232.

Wong, M.M., Chong, G.L., and Verslues, P.E. (2017). Epigenetics and RNA Processing: Connections to Drought, Salt, and ABA? In Plant Stress Tolerance: Methods and Protocols, R. Sunkar, ed. (New York, NY: Springer New York), pp. 3–21.

Requirements to the exam -
Last update: doc. Clément Lafon Placette, Dr. (04.10.2022)

·         For the theoretical part, the written exam will consist of: 1/ Knowledge test at half semester (at the end of block 1), 2/ Writing a peer-evaluated essay at the end of the semester

                    

·         For the practical part, students will practice the writing of article with the preparation of a lab report.

Syllabus -
Last update: doc. Clément Lafon Placette, Dr. (04.10.2022)

Preliminary schedule:

Block 1: Introduction to concepts and molecular mechanisms of epigenetics.

·       Week 1 (6/10). General introduction to the content & learning outcomes of the course, practical information. [CLP]

·       Week 2 (13/10). Lecture: Basic concept of epigenetics (genetic and epigenetic information; chromatin structure; main components of epigenetic information (introduction): histones, DNA methylation; basic principles of introducing (targeting) and erasing epigenetic information, mitotic inheritance). [LF].

·       Week 3 (20/10). Lecture: Histone PT modifications (enzymes; interpretation – interactions; basic functions) [LF]

·       Week 4 (27/10). Lecture: DNA methylation (enzymes - sequence contexts; RNA-directed DNA methylation; interpretation, basic functions) [LF].

·       Week 4 (3/11). Recap on epigenetic mechanisms: Group work, discussion, presentations [CLP] + [IS].

·       Week 5 (10/11). Lecture: Methodologies to study epigenetics/epigenomics (methylation analysis by restriction, methylation analysis by bisulfite conversion; ChIP; dCAS9-ChIP/MS) [LF].

 

Block 2: biological roles of epigenetic mechanisms

·       Week 6 (17/11). Lecture: Epigenetics, stress response, priming [CLP].

·       Week 7 (25/11). Lecture: Epigenetics and sexual reproduction [CLP].

 

Block 3: plant epigenetics and evolution

·       Week 8 (1/12). Lecture: Evolutionary perspectives I. Epigenetics and natural variation [IS] + [CLP].

·       Week 9 (8/12). Lecture: Evolutionary perspectives II. Transgenerational memory: meiotic heritability vs clonal transmission. Group work [CLP] + [IS].

·       Week 10 (15/12). Lecture: Evolutionary perspectives III. Meiotic heritability: how good is the evidence. Essay feedback and presentations [CLP].

 

12th of January 2023 (date to be confirmed): “Miniconference” day with 2-3 external experts:

o    Histone modifications: role in plant development [IM]

o   Epigenetics in evolution [CB]

o   Stress and breeding applications [SM]

 

 

Program of practical classes (16th-20th Jan; lab in Viničná 5, Prague 2) [VC] + [IS] + [CLP]:

·       Searching for local histone modifications: Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), ChIP-PCR.

·       Searching for DNA methylation silencing of a specific gene: Microscopy observation of reporter gene silencing, bisulfite conversion (BS) of DNA, BS-PCR, Sanger sequencing.

·       Profiling epigenetic marks across the genome: Epigenomics: BS-Seq analysis, ChIP-Seq analysis.

 
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