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Genomic mechanisms of adaptation to drought-stress in maize
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Morrison, Ryan R. (2020) Genomic mechanisms of adaptation to drought-stress in maize. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3494939~S15
Abstract
Maize is a globally important crop, that can be devastated by drought stress. Therefore, there is a demand for increasing the adaptability of maize to drought stress. The activity of transposable elements (TEs) can cause long-lasting genetic changes, causing potential adaptation benefits. DNA methylation is an epigenetic process known to regulate the activity of TEs, and can also respond to external stress.
This thesis is an investigation into the link between promoter region methylation, TE methylation and drought stress, in the drought tolerant B76 and drought susceptible B73 maize varieties. There were three major aims: 1) To test if there is a difference in methylation in gene promoter regions caused by drought in both varieties, 2) To ascertain methylation differences found in the TE fraction caused by drought in both varieties, 3) To discover if differentially methylated TEs were found in differentially methylated promoter regions of potentially important drought-tolerance genes.
The primary method of investigation in chapters 3 and 4 involved the generation of bisulfite-treated DNA sequencing. Differential methylation analysis of this data showed that there is a methylation drought stress response found in B76, that is not found in B73. Methylation differences were also found in the majority of TE families in both varieties. However, the huck TE sub-family was found to be differentially methylated after drought stress and overrepresented within differentially methylated promoter regions of the B76 variety, suggesting a possible role in drought tolerance through the restriction of expression of particular genes.
This research adds to the knowledge surrounding methylation changes after drought stress in the TE fraction, while also highlighting potential drought tolerance candidate gene, thereby providing a jumping off point for future adaptation studies in maize.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | ||||
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Subjects: | S Agriculture > SB Plant culture | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Corn -- Drought tolerance, Corn -- Adaptation, Corn -- Evolution, Corn -- Variation, Crop improvement | ||||
Official Date: | January 2020 | ||||
Dates: |
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Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
Theses Department: | School of Life Sciences | ||||
Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Kistler, Logan J. ; Allaby, Robin G. | ||||
Sponsors: | Natural Environment Research Council (Great Britain) | ||||
Format of File: | |||||
Extent: | xi, 145 leaves : illustrations (some colour) | ||||
Language: | eng |
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