PRESS RELEASE - Innovations in spatial imaging could unlock higher wheat yields
Researchers at the John Innes Centre and @earlhaminst.bsky.social are pioneering powerful single-cell visualisation techniques that could unlock higher yields of global wheat 🌾
www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas...
New #PhD opportunity in the Uauy lab @johninnescentre.bsky.social.
Can we increase grain number in wheat by studying genes controlling organ identity?
#wheat #spikelet #development
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/ide...
Hi Etienne! Do reach out via email. We have done lots, but not in a while, but would be happy to chat about this.
The ‘Designing Wheat’ roundtable in Heatherwick Studio, London
Professor Cristobal Uauy, group leader and Director designate, Professor Diane Saunders OBE, group leader
The chair of our Governing Council Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett at the ‘Designing Wheat’ roundtable in Heatherwick Studio, London.
🌾 @cristobaluauy.bsky.social, group leader and Director designate, Professor Diane Saunders OBE, group leader, Sarah Sands, trustee, and the chair of our Governing Council Sir Thomas Hughes-Hallett were pleased to host a ‘Designing Wheat’ roundtable in Heatherwick Studio, London yesterday.
10/10 Huge thanks to all the funders: ERC @ec.europa.eu ; BBSRC @ukri.org ; Gatbsy @gpsep.bsky.social ... and to the incredible collaboration with the #singlecell team @earlhaminst.bsky.social led by @whatchamacaulay.bsky.social and all his team. We would value and appreciate any feedback.
9/10 Huge merit to @katielong.bsky.social who ensured all data and analysis for this project are publicly accessible. Code👉 tinyurl.com/mtenndje , raw data at 👉 tinyurl.com/2s9cn4s7 , in addition to files that can be explored with the @vizgen.bsky.social MERSCOPE Visualizer Tool.
8/10 For easy interaction with this data, we present www.wheat-spatial.com, an interactive web browser developed from the WebAtlas pipeline (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) with the help of Rob Ellis @johninnescentre.bsky.social. You can quickly scan expression of the 200 genes across four stages.
7/10 The gradients experienced by meristems and leaves comprise of different sets of genes, but cross at a mirrored position along the inflorescence, suggesting their precise coordination between two tissue types when patterning the apical-basal axis of the spike.
6/10 @katielong.bsky.social wanted to find novel factors that may pattern the lanceolate shape of wheat before it forms. We found that across the apical-basal axis of the wheat spike, distinct and spatially coordinated gene expression gradients pattern both meristem ridges (spikelet and leaf).
5/10 We were able to identify previously proposed gene expression gradients (doi.org/10.1093/plph...) that play a role in this. We identified patterns of VRT2 (green) and SEP (blue) expression, which we found to be spatially restricted and form opposing patterns along the apical-basal axis.
4/10 Following on from this, @katielong.bsky.social and colleagues @nikolaiadamski.bsky.social wanted to learn more about how the shape of the wheat spike is patterned. Why does the wheat spike form a lanceolate shape, where the most basal spikelets initiate first yet lag behind in development?
3/10 From there, we learned more about the tissue types in wheat and their enriched gene markers and how these connect and change over developmental time. Here AGL6 (pink) is first observed at lemma primordium stage and the clearly marks paleae and stamens at latest stages.
2/10 We used MERFISH @vizgen.bsky.social to spatially resolved gene expression data to learn about inflorescence development. @katielong.bsky.social first approached this by segmenting each cell and assigning it to a ‘domain’ based on the genes expressed.
1/10 We are thrilled to share our preprint on spatial transcriptomics in wheat spikes led by the amazing @katielong.bsky.social and Ashleigh Lister. We resolved expression of 200 genes to cellular resolution. Pre-print👉 tinyurl.com/c7t3kncf., @johninnescentre.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social
