To gain insights into the evolution and function of PWO proteins associated with the PRC2 complex across various species, we performed a phylogeny analysis and identified the sudden emergence of PWO proteins in the Lycophytes. Structure prediction of PWOs from different plant species revealed highly conserved PWWP domains and a C-terminal tail (C-tail). We observed that the identified PWO proteins were separated into four major clades - PWO1, PWO2/3, Polypodiopsida-specific clade, and Ancestral PWO clade. We also conducted experiments to characterize the localization and interactions of PWO proteins. The Selaginella moellendorffii (Sm)-PWOa and SmPWOb, belonging to the ancestral PWO clade, were found to form nuclear speckles, similar to Arabidopsis thaliana (At)PWO1. However, SmPWOb predominantly localized to the nucleolus in plant nuclei. We demonstrated that SmPWOa interacts with PRC2 subunits from different species, such as A. thaliana, S. moellendorffii, and Physcomitrium patens, and tethers AtCLF to nuclear speckles. On the other hand, SmPWOb recruits AtCLF to the nucleolus in N. benthamiana. Moreover, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing SmPWOa, which resulted in an increase in nuclear size. This observation suggests that SmPWOa may influence the nuclear structure of these lines. Collectively, our findings indicate that the PWO-PRC2 interaction exists in plants from the very beginning of PWOs emergence, highlighting the functional significance of PWOs in epigenome regulation during land plant evolution.
During the MSCA project, two secondments were realised. MSCA secondment 1: 19 January – 08 February 2023, Dr. Sara Farrona Group, University of Galway, Ireland; MSCA secondment 2: 20 February – 06 March 2023, Prof. Daniel Schubert Group, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
The results of the EvoPWO project are currently being prepared for publication, and the manuscript is yet to be published. We expect that a peer-reviewed publication will be available in early 2024, accessible through Open Access. However, the project's findings have already been shared and presented at various international conferences and seminars. These include poster presentation at two international conferences such as ‘7th European Workshop on Plant Chromatin held in Prague, Czech Republic from May 18-20, 2022’ and ‘9th Plant Genomics and Gene Editing Congress organized by Global Engage Ltd in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA from October 24-25, 2022’. Additionally, the project's findings were also presented orally at the University of Galway in Ireland on February 3, 2023, at Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany on February 23, 2023, and at the Plant Sciences Seminars held at the Biology Centre CAS in České Budějovice, Czech Republic on March 30, 2023. In addition, the results were also disseminated and discussed six times at regular lab meetings of Iva Mozgová Group at Biology Centre (BC) CAS. I also contributed to make MSCA program more visible and attractive for other postdoctoral researchers at BC,
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