The LORE1 insertion mutant resource.

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are closely related to retroviruses, and their activities shape eukaryotic genomes. Here, we present a complete Lotus japonicus insertion mutant collection generated by identification of 640 653 new insertion events following de novo activation of the LTR element Lotus retrotransposon 1 (LORE1) (http://lotus.au.dk). Insertion preferences are critical for effective gene targeting, and we exploit our large dataset to analyse LTR element characteristics in this context. We infer the mechanism that generates the consensus palindromes typical of retroviral and LTR retrotransposon insertion sites, identify a short relaxed insertion site motif, and demonstrate selective integration into CHG-hypomethylated genes. These characteristics result in a steep increase in deleterious mutation rate following activation, and allow LORE1 active gene targeting to approach saturation within a population of 134 682 L. japonicus lines. We suggest that saturation mutagenesis using endogenous LTR retrotransposons with germinal activity can be used as a general and cost-efficient strategy for generation of non-transgenic mutant collections for unrestricted use in plant research.

The deubiquitinating enzyme AMSH1 is required for rhizobial infection and nodule organogenesis in Lotus japonicus.

Legume-rhizobium symbiosis contributes large quantities of fixed nitrogen to both agricultural and natural ecosystems. This global impact and the selective interaction between rhizobia and legumes culminating in development of functional root nodules have prompted detailed studies of the underlying mechanisms. We performed a screen for aberrant nodulation phenotypes using the Lotus japonicus LORE1 insertion mutant collection. Here, we describe the identification of amsh1 mutants that only develop small nodule primordia and display stunted shoot growth, and show that the aberrant nodulation phenotype caused by LORE1 insertions in the Amsh1 gene may be separated from the shoot phenotype. In amsh1 mutants, rhizobia initially became entrapped in infection threads with thickened cells walls. Some rhizobia were released into plant cells much later than observed for the wild-type; however, no typical symbiosome structures were formed. Furthermore, cytokinin treatment only very weakly induced nodule organogenesis in amsh1 mutants, suggesting that AMSH1 function is required downstream of cytokinin signaling. Biochemical analysis showed that AMSH1 is an active deubiquitinating enzyme, and that AMSH1 specifically cleaves K63-linked ubiquitin chains. Post-translational ubiquitination and deubiquitination processes involving the AMSH1 deubiquitinating enzyme are thus involved in both infection and organogenesis in Lotus japonicus.

Genome-wide LORE1 retrotransposon mutagenesis and high-throughput insertion detection in Lotus japonicus.

Use of insertion mutants facilitates functional analysis of genes, but it has been difficult to identify a suitable mutagen and to establish large populations for reverse genetics in most plant species. The main challenge is developing efficient high-throughput procedures for both mutagenesis and identification of insertion sites. To date, only floral-dip T-DNA transformation of Arabidopsis has produced independent germinal insertions, thereby allowing generation of mutant populations from seeds of single plants. In addition, advances in insertion detection have been hampered by a lack of protocols, including software for automated data analysis, that take full advantage of high-throughput next-generation sequencing. We have addressed these challenges by developing the FSTpoolit protocol and software package, and here we demonstrate its efficacy by detecting 8935 LORE1 insertions in 3744 Lotus japonicus plants. The identified insertions show that the endogenous LORE1 retrotransposon is well suited for insertion mutagenesis due to homogenous gene targeting and exonic insertion preference. As LORE1 transposition occurs in the germline, harvesting seeds from a single founder line and cultivating progeny generates a complete mutant population. This ease of LORE1 mutagenesis, combined with the efficient FSTpoolit protocol, which exploits 2D pooling, Illumina sequencing and automated data analysis, allows highly cost-efficient development of a comprehensive reverse genetic resource.

Iron and ferritin accumulate in separate cellular locations in Phaseolus seeds.

BACKGROUND: Iron is an important micronutrient for all living organisms. Almost 25% of the world population is affected by iron deficiency, a leading cause of anemia. In plants, iron deficiency leads to chlorosis and reduced yield. Both animals and plants may suffer from iron deficiency when their diet or environment lacks bioavailable iron. A sustainable way to reduce iron malnutrition in humans is to develop staple crops with increased content of bioavailable iron. Knowledge of where and how iron accumulates in seeds of crop plants will increase the understanding of plant iron metabolism and will assist in the production of staples with increased bioavailable iron. RESULTS: Here we reveal the distribution of iron in seeds of three Phaseolus species including thirteen genotypes of P. vulgaris, P. coccineus, and P. lunatus. We showed that high concentrations of iron accumulate in cells surrounding the provascular tissue of P. vulgaris and P. coccineus seeds. Using the Perls' Prussian blue method, we were able to detect iron in the cytoplasm of epidermal cells, cells near the epidermis, and cells surrounding the provascular tissue. In contrast, the protein ferritin that has been suggested as the major iron storage protein in legumes was only detected in the amyloplasts of the seed embryo. Using the non-destructive micro-PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) technique we show that the tissue in the proximity of the provascular bundles holds up to 500 microg g(-1) of iron, depending on the genotype. In contrast to P. vulgaris and P. coccineus, we did not observe iron accumulation in the cells surrounding the provascular tissues of P. lunatus cotyledons. A novel iron-rich genotype, NUA35, with a high concentration of iron both in the seed coat and cotyledons was bred from a cross between an Andean and a Mesoamerican genotype. CONCLUSIONS: The presented results emphasize the importance of complementing research in model organisms with analysis in crop plants and they suggest that iron distribution criteria should be integrated into selection strategies for bean biofortification.

High-throughput and targeted genotyping of Lotus japonicus LORE1 insertion mutants.

The Lotus Retrotransposon 1 (LORE1) is used for genome-wide mutagenesis of the model legume Lotus japonicus. Characterization of the LORE1 insertion sites in individual mutant lines is critical for development and use of the resource. Here we present guidelines for use of the LORE1 reverse genetics resource and provide detailed protocols for insertion site identification and validation. For high-throughput identification of insertions in up to 9,216 pooled lines, the FSTpoolit protocol takes advantage of Splinkerette adapters, molecular barcoding, 2D pooling, Illumina sequencing, and automated data analysis using the freely available FSTpoolit software. Complementing the high-throughput approach, we describe a simplified sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (SSAP) protocol well suited for quick identification of insertion sites in a limited number of lines. Both the FSTpoolit and simplified SSAP protocols are generally applicable to insertion site identification in any insertional mutagenesis setup.