Exploring the physiological and molecular aspects of Guzmania monostachia (Bromeliaceae): studying the functional pathways of photosynthesis and nutrient responses.

• Grant number: 18/12667-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2018
• End date: October 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Helenice Mercier
• Grantee: Helenice Mercier
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Zangirólame Gonçalves ; Marília Gaspar Maïs

Abstract

Guzmania monostachia is an epiphytic bromeliad with tank and C3-CAM facultative metabolism that survives to intensive environmental variations such as the intermittency of water and nutrient availabilities. Previous researches of our group have shown that this bromeliad is inducible to CAM in water scarcity and under low N availability and can revert to C3 when rehydrated. Considering its photosynthetic plasticity, this bromeliad represents an excellent model to understand the interconnection of CAM (i) with the photochemical phase of photosynthesis and (ii) its regulation by nutrients, mainly by nitrogen and potassium. Since the CAM metabolism allow plants have a higher water use and N efficiencies and that we are already facing an increase of the arid and oligotrophic areas in the Earth, it becomes essential to unravel the physiological strategies that certain bromeliads have to withstand the water and nutritional stresses. In this sense, from the sequencing and reassembling of the G. monostachia transcriptome previously made by our group, we could notice different transcriptional profiles along the foliar limb due to variations in nutritional and water availabilities, and we selected two functional pathways from these results to continue our physiological and molecular researches: photosynthesis and nutrient responses. Through the photosynthesis functional pathway, we intend to investigate how the CAM affects the structure responsible for the capture of the light energy in the antenna/PSII complex and the dissipation capacity of the surplus energy, through the analysis of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and the PEPCK gene expression and the xanthophyll cycle genes (VDE, violaxanthin de-epoxidase and ZE, zeaxanthin epoxidase). Through the nutrient responses functional pathway, we intend to investigate how variations in the availability of N and K+ regulate the induction of CAM through the analysis of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and the gene expressions of PEPC1 and the genes encoding the transporters/absorption regulators of nitrate, ammonium, urea and potassium (NTR2, NTL1, AMT1, AMT3, DUR3, TIP2.2, AKT, HAK, CIPK). (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MERCIER, HELENICE; RODRIGUES, MARIA AURINEIDE; DA SILVA ANDRADE, SONIA CRISTINA; COUTINHO, LUIZ LEHMANN; KATAYAMA GOBARA, BRUNO NOBUYA; MATIZ, ALEJANDRA; MIOTO, PAULO TAMASO; GONCALVES, ANA ZANGIROLAME. Transcriptional foliar profile of the C-3-CAM bromeliad Guzmania monostachia. PLoS One, v. 14, n. 10, OCT 29 2019. (18/12667-3, 16/09699-5, 11/50637-0)

KATAYAMA GOBARA, BRUNO NOBUYA; RODRIGUES ALVES, FREDERICO ROCHA; PIKART, FILIPE CHRISTIAN; GONCALVES, ANA ZANGIROLAME; ALVES CURSINO DOS SANTOS, DEBORAH YARA; DE ALBUQUERQUE MELO DE PINNA, GLADYS FLAVIA; MERCIER, HELENICE. How does a C-3 epiphytic tank bromeliad respond to drought?. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, v. 192, n. 4, SI, p. 855-867, APR 2020. (13/22267-9, 18/12667-3, 16/09699-5, 11/50637-0)

GONCALVES, ANA Z.; LATSANIO, SABRINA; DETMANN, KELLY C.; MARABESI, MAURO A.; NETO, ANTONIO A. C.; AIDAR, MARCOS P. M.; DAMATTA, FABIO M.; MERCIER, HELENICE. What does the RuBisCO activity tell us about a C-3-CAM plant?. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, v. 147, p. 172-180, FEB 2020. (16/09699-5, 18/12667-3, 11/50637-0)

GONCALVES, ANA ZANGIROLAME; RAYNER OLIVEIRA, PAULO MARCELO; COUTINHO NETO, ANTONIO AZEREDO; MERCIER, HELENICE. Thinking of the leaf as a whole plant: How does N metabolism occur in a plant with foliar nutrient uptake?. ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, v. 178, OCT 2020. (16/09699-5, 18/12667-3, 11/50637-0)

KATAYAMA GOBARA, BRUNO NOBUYA; RODRIGUES ALVES, FREDERICO ROCHA; PIKART, FILIPE CHRISTIAN; GONCALVES, ANA ZANGIROLAME; ALVES CURSINO DOS SANTOS, DEBORAH YARA; DE ALBUQUERQUE MELO DE PINNA, GLADYS FLAVIA; MERCIER, HELENICE. How does a C-3 epiphytic tank bromeliad respond to drought?. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, v. 192, n. 4, p. 13-pg., 2020-04-01. (11/50637-0, 16/09699-5, 13/22267-9, 18/12667-3)