Effect of aneuploidy of a nonessential chromosome on gene expression in maize
Effect of aneuploidy of a nonessential chromosome on gene expression in maize
Tags: Agriculture, Chromosomal driveX. Shi, H. Yang, C. Chen, J. Hou, T. Ji, J. Cheng and J. A. Birchler, Plant Journal, 2022.
The nonessential supernumerary maize B chromosome (B) has recently been shown to contain active genes and be capable of impacting gene expression of the A chromosomes. However, the effect of the B chromosome on gene expression is still unclear. In addition, it is unknown whether the accumulation of the B chromosome would have a cumulative effect on gene expression. To examine these questions, the global expression of genes, microRNAs (miRNAs), and transposable elements (TEs) of leaf tissue of W22 maize (Zea mays) plants with 0 to 7 copies of the B chromosome was studied. All experimental genotypes with B chromosomes displayed a trend of upregulated gene expression for a subset of A-located genes compared to the control. Over three thousand A-located genes are significantly differentially expressed in all experimental genotypes with the B chromosome relative to the control. Modulations of these genes are largely determined by the presence rather than the copy number of the B chromosome. By contrast, the expression of most B-located genes is positively correlated with B copy number, showing a proportional gene dosage effect. The B chromosome also causes increased expression of A-located miRNAs. Differentially expressed miRNAs potentially regulate their targets in a cascade of effects. Furthermore, the varied copy number of the B chromosome leads to the differential expression of A-located and B-located TEs. The findings provide novel insights into the function and properties of the B chromosome.
