SubjectsSubjects(version: 945)
Course, academic year 2021/2022
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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 2020 to 2021
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 a mix of questions and figures to analyze.

·         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:

Week 1. Lecture: Basic concept of epigenetics (genetic and epigenetic information; chromatin structure; main components of epigenetic information (introduction): histone variants, histone PTM, DNA methylation; basic principles of introducing (targeting) and erasing epigenetic information, mitotic inheritance). [LF]; no practical class.

Week 2. Lecture: Histone PT modifications and histone variants (enzymes; interpretation - interactions; basic functions) [LF]; no practical class.

Week 3. Lecture: Histone modifications: role in plant development [IM]; no practical class.

Week 4. Lecture: DNA methylation (enzymes - sequence contexts; RNA-directed DNA methylation; interpretation, basic functions) [LF]; no practical class.

Week 5. Lecture: Methodologies to study epigenetics/epigenomics (methylation analysis by restriction, methylation analysis by bisulfite conversion; ChIP; dCAS9-ChIP/MS) [LF]; no practical class.

Week 6. Lecture: Journal club/“homework” on histone modifications and ChIP; 4 x 4 hours practical classes: 1/ Cross-linking and immunoprecipitation, 2/ DNA isolation from ChIPed samples, 3/ ChIP-qPCR, 4/ Analysis of the ChIP-qPCR.

Week 7. Lecture: Transposable elements: regulation and biological roles [AP]; 4 x 4 hours practical classes: 1/ Bisulfite Conversion, 2/ BS-PCR, 3/ Cloning of BS-PCR fragments, 4/ Sequencing of clones.

Week 8. Lecture: Epigenetics and stress response [CLP]; no practical class.

Week 9. Lecture: Epigenetics and sexual reproduction [CLP]; 2 x 4 hours practical classes: 1/ Epigenomics: ChIP-Seq analysis 1, 2/ Epigenomics: ChIP-Seq analysis 2.

Week 10. Lecture: Mitotic epigenetic memory; 2 x 4 hours practical classes: 1/ Epigenomics: BS-Seq analysis 1, 2/ Epigenomics: BS-Seq analysis 2.

Week 11. Lecture: Meiotic heritability: evolutionary perspectives [CLP]; no practical class.

Week 12. Lecture: Comparative epigenomics: conservation across kingdoms [CLP]; no practical class.

 
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