Norwegian version of this page

Ida Johannessen

Senior Lecturer - Laboratory School in Biology

Email ida.johannessen@ibv.uio.no

Room 1226

Username

Visiting address Blindernveien 31 0371 Oslo

Postal address Postboks 1066 Blindern 0316 Oslo

Download business card

[Please see the Norwegian page for more information.]

Academic interests

During my master degree and PhD I worked to investigate gene regulation and the function of certain genes. The main methods I used were PCR, real-time PCR and SNP analysis on genetic material from the well known plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The Grini research group has included the closely related species Arabidopsis arenosa and Arabidopsis lyrata in the studies to investigate post-zygotic hybridization barriers in plants. I have been part of the following studies:

The developmental basis of post-zygotic hybridization barriers in Arabidopsis
MADS box type I transcription factors in Arabidopsis
The role of RNA directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in regulation of MADS box type I transcription factors

Teaching

Background

Completed Master of Science in molecular biology in 2013 and PhD in 2019 with Paul E. Grini as supervisor and Anne K. Brysting and Katrine Bjerkan as co-supervisors with focus on gene regulation, epigenetics and hybridization barriers in plants.

Master thesis entitled: The role of small RNA in imprinting of MADS box type I transcription factors.

PhD thesis entitled: Endosperm-based post-zygotic hybridizaiton barriers in Arabidopsis.

Tags: Genetics, Molecular biology, Epigenetics, Arabidopsis

Bramsiepe, Jonathan; Krabberød, Anders Kristian; Bjerkan, Katrine Nergård; Alling, Renate; Nielsen, Ida & Hornslien, Karina Stensland [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Structural evidence for MADS-box type I family expansion seen in new assemblies of Arabidopsis arenosa and A. lyrata. The Plant Journal. ISSN 0960-7412. 116(3), p. 942–961. doi: 10.1111/tpj.16401. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
SUMMARY Arabidopsis thaliana diverged from A. arenosa and A. lyrata at least 6 million years ago. The three species differ by genome‐wide polymorphisms and morphological traits. The species are to a high degree reproductively isolated, but hybridization barriers are incomplete. A special type of hybridization barrier is based on the triploid endosperm of the seed, where embryo lethality is caused by endosperm failure to support the developing embryo. The MADS‐box type I family of transcription factors is specifically expressed in the endosperm and has been proposed to play a role in endosperm‐based hybridization barriers. The gene family is well known for its high evolutionary duplication rate, as well as being regulated by genomic imprinting. Here we address MADS‐box type I gene family evolution and the role of type I genes in the context of hybridization. Using two de‐novo assembled and annotated chromosome‐level genomes of A. arenosa and A. lyrata ssp. petraea we analyzed the MADS‐box type I gene family in Arabidopsis to predict orthologs, copy number, and structural genomic variation related to the type I loci. Our findings were compared to gene expression profiles sampled before and after the transition to endosperm cellularization in order to investigate the involvement of MADS‐box type I loci in endosperm‐based hybridization barriers. We observed substantial differences in type‐I expression in the endosperm of A. arenosa and A. lyrata ssp. petraea , suggesting a genetic cause for the endosperm‐based hybridization barrier between A. arenosa and A. lyrata ssp. petraea .
Bjerkan, Katrine; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Johannessen, Ida Marie; Krabberød, Anders Kristian; Ekelenburg, Yuri Stephan van & Kalantarian, Maryam [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2019). Genetic variation and temperature affects hybrid barriers during interspecific hybridization. The Plant Journal. ISSN 0960-7412. 101, p. 122–140. doi: 10.1111/tpj.14523. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Genomic imprinting regulates parent‐specific transcript dosage during seed development and is mainly confined to the endosperm. Elucidation of the function of many imprinted genes has been hampered by the lack of corresponding mutant phenotypes, and the role of imprinting is mainly associated with genome dosage regulation or allocation of resources. Disruption of imprinted genes has also been suggested to mediate endosperm‐based post‐zygotic hybrid barriers depending on genetic variation and gene dosage. Here, we have analyzed the conservation of a clade from the MADS‐box type I class transcription factors in the closely related species Arabidopsis arenosa, A. lyrata, and A. thaliana, and show that AGL36‐like genes are imprinted and maternally expressed in seeds of Arabidopsis species and in hybrid seeds between outbreeding species. In hybridizations between outbreeding and inbreeding species the paternally silenced allele of the AGL36‐like gene is reactivated in the hybrid, demonstrating that also maternally expressed imprinted genes are perturbed during hybridization and that such effects on imprinted genes are specific to the species combination. Furthermore, we also demonstrate a quantitative effect of genetic diversity and temperature on the strength of the post‐zygotic hybridization barrier. Markedly, a small decrease in temperature during seed development increases the survival of hybrid F1 seeds, suggesting that abiotic and genetic parameters play important roles in post‐zygotic species barriers, pointing at evolutionary scenarios favoring such effects.
Lafon-Placette, Clément; Johannessen, Ida Marie; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Ali, Mohammad F.; Bjerkan, Katrine & Bramsiepe, Jonathan [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2017). Endosperm-based hybridization barriers explain the pattern of gene flow between Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa in Central Europe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). ISSN 0027-8424. 114(6), p. E1027–E1035. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1615123114. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA

Heuschele, Jan David & Johannessen, Ida (2026). Forskning på livet i havet - webinar 3. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida & Heuschele, Jan David (2026). Folkeforskning - Forskning på livet i havet. Full text in Research Archive
Heuschele, Jan David & Johannessen, Ida (2026). Forskning på livet i havet - Webinar 2. Full text in Research Archive
Heuschele, Jan David & Johannessen, Ida (2025). Forskning på livet i havet - webinar 1. Full text in Research Archive
Bjerkan, Katrine; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Johannessen, Ida Marie; Ekelenburg, Yuri Stephan van; Bramsiepe, Jonathan & Brysting, Anne Krag [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2019). Temperature and genetic variation alter strength of the post-zygotic endosperm based barrier between A. thaliana and A.arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Krabberød, Anders Kristian; Bramsiepe, Jonathan; Brysting, Anne Krag & Grini, Paul Eivind (2018). The Genetic Basis of Post-Zygotic Hybridization Barriers Between Arabidopsis lyrata and A. arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie (2017). Interspecies compatibility of diploid and tetraploid Arabidopsis lyrata and A. arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie; Lafon-Placette, Clément; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Bramsiepe, Jonathan; Bjerkan, Katrine & Brysting, Anne Krag [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2017). The effect of gene and genome dosage on hybridization barriers in Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidospsis arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie; Hornslien, Karina Stensland; Krabberød, Anders Kristian; Bramsiepe, Jonathan; Brysting, Anne Krag & Grini, Paul Eivind (2017). The genetic basis of post-zygotic hybridization barriers between Arabidopsis lyrata and A. arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie (2017). The effect of gene and genome dosage on hybridization barriers in Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa. Full text in Research Archive
Johannessen, Ida Marie (2016). The effect of gene and genome dosage on hybridization barriers in Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidospsis arenosa. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA

Published May 7, 2014 12:06 PM - Last modified Apr. 30, 2026 1:43 PM