Polysome Purification from Soybean Symbiotic Nodules

Summary

This protocol describes a method for eukaryotic polysome purification from intact soybean nodules. After sequencing, standard pipelines for gene expression analysis can be used to identify differentially expressed genes at the transcriptome and translatome levels.

Abstract

The aim of this protocol is to provide a strategy for studying the eukaryotic translatome of the soybean (Glycine max) symbiotic nodule. This paper describes methods optimized to isolate plant-derived polyribosomes and their associated mRNAs to be analyzed using RNA-sequencing. First, cytoplasmic lysates are obtained through homogenization in polysome- and RNA-preserving conditions from whole, frozen soybean nodules. Then, lysates are cleared by low-speed centrifugation, and 15% of the supernatant is used for total RNA (TOTAL) isolation. The remaining cleared lysate is used to isolate polysomes by ultracentrifugation through a two-layer sucrose cushion (12% and 33.5%). Polysome-associated mRNA (PAR) is purified from polysomal pellets after resuspension. Both TOTAL and PAR are evaluated by highly sensitive capillary electrophoresis to meet the quality standards of sequencing libraries for RNA-seq. As an example of a downstream application, after sequencing, standard pipelines for gene expression analysis can be used to obtain differentially expressed genes at the transcriptome and translatome levels. In summary, this method, in combination with RNA-seq, allows the study of the translational regulation of eukaryotic mRNAs in a complex tissue such as the symbiotic nodule.

Introduction

Leguminous plants, such as soybean (Glycine max), can establish symbiosis with specific soil bacteria called rhizobia. This mutualistic relationship elicits the formation of novel organs, the symbiotic nodules, on the plant roots. The nodules are the plant organs hosting the bacteria and consist of host cells whose cytoplasm is colonized with a specialized form of rhizobia called bacteroids. These bacteroids catalyze the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia, which is transferred to the plant in return for carbohydrates^1,2.

Although this nitrogen-fi....

Protocol

1. Plant growth and rhizobia inoculation

1. To generate the required nodules, sow the soybean seeds of choice in the selected substrate in a growth chamber under controlled conditions.
   NOTE: In this protocol, seeds were sown in a 0.5 L plastic bottle filled with a mix of sand:vermiculite (1:1). The growth chamber was set with a day/night cycle temperature of 28 °C /20 °C, respectively, and a light/darkness photoperiod of 16 h/8 h, respectively. The photosynthetically active radiation intensity was 620 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹.
2. Prepare in advance liquid Yeast-Extract Mannitol (YEM....

Results

The quantity and quality assessment of the TOTAL and PAR fractions purified with the abovementioned procedure is key to determining its success, since for most downstream applications, such as RNA sequencing, high-quality samples are fundamental for library preparation and sequencing. Moreover, the integrity of the RNA molecules allows the capture of a snapshot of the gene expression profile at the moment of sample collection¹⁸. In this context, an RNA integrity number (RIN) is obtained when perfo.......

Discussion

Studying gene expression regulation at the translational level is critical to better comprehend different biological processes since the endpoint of cell gene expression is protein abundance^13,14. This can be assessed by analyzing the translatome of the tissue or organism of interest for which the polysomal fraction should be purified and its associated mRNAs analyzed^3,4,34

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Plant growth and rhizobia inoculation
Orbital shaker	Daihan Scientific		Model SHO-1D
YEM-medium	Amresco	J850 (yeast extract) 0122 (mannitol)
Water deficit treatment
KNO3	Merck	221295
Porometer	Decagon Device		Model SC-1
Scalpel
Preparation of cytosolic extracts
Brij L23	Sigma-Aldrich	P1254
Centrifuge	Sigma		Model 2K15
Chloranphenicol	Sigma-Aldrich	C0378
Cycloheximide	Sigma-Aldrich	C7698
DOC	Sigma-Aldrich	30970
DTT	Sigma-Aldrich	D9779
EGTA	Sigma-Aldrich	E3889
Igepal CA 360	Sigma-Aldrich	I8896
KCl	Merck	1.04936
MgCl2	Sigma-Aldrich	M8266
Plastic tissue grinder	Fisher Scientific	12649595
PMSF	Sigma-Aldrich	P7626
PTE	Sigma-Aldrich	P2393
Tris	Invitrogen	15504-020
Triton X-100	Sigma-Aldrich	T8787
Tween 20	Sigma-Aldrich	P1379
Weighing dish	Deltalab	1911103
Preparation of sucrose cushions
Sucrose	Invitrogen	15503022
SW 40 Ti rotor	Beckman-Coulter
Ultracentrifuge	Beckman-Coulter		Optima L-100K
Ultracentrifuge tubes	Beckman-Coulter	344059	13.2 mL tubes
RNA extraction and quality control
Agarose	Thermo scientific	R0492
Bioanalyzer	Agilent		Model 2100. Eukaryote total RNA nano assay
Chloroform	DI	41191
Ethanol	Dorwil	UN1170
Isopropanol	Mallinckrodt	3032-06
Glycogen	Sigma	10814-010
TRIzol LS	Ambion	102960028
Miscellaneous
Falcon tubes 15 mL	Biologix	10-0152
Filter tips 10 µL	BioPointe Scientific	321-4050
Filter tips 1000 µL	BioPointe Scientific	361-1050
Filter tips 20 µL	BioPointe Scientific	341-4050
Filter tips 200 µL	Tarsons	528104
Microcentrifuge tubes 1.5 mL	Tarsons	500010-N
Microcentrifuge tubes 2.0 mL	Tarsons	500020-N
Sequencing company	Macrogen
Sterile 250 mL flask	Marienfeld	4110207