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RNA directed DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Motylová, Šárka ; Fischer, Lukáš (advisor) ; Moravec, Tomáš (referee)
The differential transcriptional activity of the genome is provided by epigenetic modifications, which include DNA methylation, alteration of histone N-terminal amino acids and changes in histone variants. RNA interference is a regulatory process, in which transcriptional or post-transcriptional silencing of exogenous or endogenous sequences is mediated by the action of small RNAs derived from these sequences. The 24-nucleotide siRNAs, forming a fraction of small RNAs, direct de novo DNA methylation and participate in the maintenance of DNA methylation (RNA-directed DNA methylation; RdDM), which facilitates transcriptional silencing of heterochromatin and transposable elements representing a large part of plant genomes. The presence of two RNA polymerases involved in this pathway is characteristic for flowering plants, which were discovered for the first time in the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, which has also become the main plant model for the study of RdDM. Polymerase IV transcribes siRNA precursors; siRNAs are subsequently associated with AGO4 proteins and guide methylation enzymes to the target sequences via complementarity with polymerase V transcripts.
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Endometriosis, its aetiopathogenesis and influence on female's fertility
Selková, Katarína ; Daňková, Pavlína (advisor) ; Crha, Igor (referee)
Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent disease of women of reproductive age. It is often considered as one of the main causes of female infertility. Its development and progression are influenced by several exogenous and endogenous factors. It is a heterogeneous disease and one of the most important tasks is to identify the candidate genes. That will allow us to better understand why and under what circumstances endometriosis develops. Because not all women with endometriosis are infertile, I focused in this thesis at selected candidate genes, their alleles and epigenetic dysregulation that could link endometriosis to infertility. From the available literature WNT4, HOXA gene cluster, ESR1, PGR, FN1, VETZ, GREB1 appear to play a major role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. These genes also play an important role in various biological pathways and their dysregulation leads to low implantation / complete implantation failure, insufficient oogenesis, embryogenesis, and infertility in patients with endometriosis. Identification of genes whose dysregulation induces the development of endometriosis in the population is important, given the increasing incidence of endometriosis and infertility rates in recent years. With further research on pathogenesis of endometriosis it would be possible to make...
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Fungal metabolism modulation by plant substances
Sedláková, Vendula ; Čmoková, Adéla (advisor) ; Kolařík, Miroslav (referee)
Phytochemicals are bioactive substances by which plants affect organisms in their vicinity. Fungi often respond to their presence by metabolism alternation, which is manifested by the production of secondary metabolites, an increase in biomass or the regulation of virulence. These changes can be caused by phytochemicals (e.g. curcumin, EGCG) with abilities to modulate epigenetic information. The first half of the work is devoted to mechanisms of epigenetic modification (e.g. methylation, histone modification), which were studied in fungi. The second half summarizes studies focused on phytochemicals, in which the ability to modify epigenetic information in eukaryotic organisms was observed. The bachelor's thesis thus brings valuable knowledge about the possibility of modifying fungal metabolism by phytochemicals, which are often waste products of industry. Information summarized in this work can have a significant impact on improving biotechnological processes, where there is an effort to increase biomass yield or induce the production of secondary metabolites in cases where their production is normally suppressed. Key words: secondary metabolites, epigenetics, epigenetic modification, phytochemicals, filamentous fungi
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Programmed DNA elimination in animals
Janáková, Šárka ; Reifová, Radka (advisor) ; Choleva, Lukáš (referee)
Programmed DNA elimination (PDE) is a process in which a part of genetic information is eliminated from the organisms genome. It can be found be found in both plants and animals. There is a difference in the genetic inormation eliminated depending on the species. There are some organisms that eliminate only parts of their chromosomes, others that eliminate whole chromosomes and in hybrid organisms one whole parental genome is eliminated. In somatic cells PDE usually takes place during early embryogenesis. If the genome being eliminated comes from the germline cells, PDE takes place during gametogenesis. The function and mechanisms of PDE differs inbetween the species. It is most often connected with soma and germ cell differentiation, sex determination in animals and haploid gamete production in hybrid species. Mechanisms frequently include epigenetic modifications of DNA destined for elimination or production of micronuclei (MN) with the eliminated DNA inside. This work summarizes these functions and mechanisms and provides examples. Key words: programmed DNA elimination, chromatin diminution, chromosomal elimination, hybridogenesis, micronuclei, epigenetic modifications, Germ1, GRC
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Multifunctional protein CTCF and its role in regulation of gene expression
Pokorná, Linda ; Vacík, Tomáš (advisor) ; Vopálenský, Václav (referee)
CTCF is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein that binds to DNA through its central zinc finger domain. Thousands of CTCF binding sites have been identified throughout the human genome at gene promoters, in intergenic regions or in non-coding sequences. CTCF can function either as a positive or as a negative regulator of gene expression and is also involved in creating and maintaining long-range chromosomal interactions. Various developmentally important genes have been shown to be regulated by CTCF and its malfunction is frequently associated with developmental defects or diseases. CTCF undergoes various posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation or SUMOylation which also affect its function in the regulation of gene expression. Keywords: CTCF, three dimensional genome, cohesin, regulation of gene expression, insulation, HOX genes
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Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance in Mammals
Dostálová, Veronika ; Švorcová, Jana (advisor) ; Markoš, Anton (referee)
Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mamals is a widely discussed topic in today's biology. Epigenetic modifications are molecules that play a crucial role in regulation of gene transcription. Epigenetic modifications regulate another epigenetic modification's establishment. The extrinsic and the intrinsic cellular or organismal environment is involved within the establishment of epigenetic state. The molecules involved in epigenetic processes are able to regulate gene transcription in reaction to the environment and therefore these molecules partly shape the phenotype. Most importantly, epigenetic processes are affected by cellular or organismal history. A question emerges: Are these molecules able to transfer information through germline to subsequent generations? Does transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals exist? Experimental data show it is so. What consequences this can mean in our understanding of evolution? Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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RNA directed DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Motylová, Šárka ; Fischer, Lukáš (advisor) ; Moravec, Tomáš (referee)
The differential transcriptional activity of the genome is provided by epigenetic modifications, which include DNA methylation, alteration of histone N-terminal amino acids and changes in histone variants. RNA interference is a regulatory process, in which transcriptional or post-transcriptional silencing of exogenous or endogenous sequences is mediated by the action of small RNAs derived from these sequences. The 24-nucleotide siRNAs, forming a fraction of small RNAs, direct de novo DNA methylation and participate in the maintenance of DNA methylation (RNA-directed DNA methylation; RdDM), which facilitates transcriptional silencing of heterochromatin and transposable elements representing a large part of plant genomes. The presence of two RNA polymerases involved in this pathway is characteristic for flowering plants, which were discovered for the first time in the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, which has also become the main plant model for the study of RdDM. Polymerase IV transcribes siRNA precursors; siRNAs are subsequently associated with AGO4 proteins and guide methylation enzymes to the target sequences via complementarity with polymerase V transcripts.
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