Sugarcane genes involved in aluminum tolerance

• Grant number: 00/07433-0
• Support Opportunities: Genome Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2000
• End date: December 31, 2003
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Grantee: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In acid soils aluminum (AI) is one of the main factors reducing plant growth and crop productivity. Around 70% of the lands that can be used for agriculture in Brazil represent acid soils with high levels of AI. The primary effect of AI in plants is the inhibition of root growth which causes a decrease in water and nutrient uptake. Because AI is a strong selective force, plants developed strategies to overcome AI toxicity. Despite the growing number of studies, a complete knowledge on the biochemical and the molecular basis of AI tolerance is far from being achieved. The release of organic acids, that bind AI, is a mechanism widely used by root cells to decrease AI toxicity. The activation of enzymes that help to decrease the deleterious effects of oxidative stress seems to be an internal tolerance mechanism. Only a few genes that are up regulated upon exposure to AI have been isolated. These include genes coding for: phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, putative proteinase inhibitors, a metallothionein-like protein, ?-glucanase, a fimbrin-Iike cytoskeletal protein, glutathione S-transferase, peroxidase, and a cell wall protein. Even with these small amounts of information, it is clear that several metabolic pathways in the cell metabolism are changed in response to AI stress. Our objective is to prospect the SUCEST Data Bank searching for genes related to the several pathways that are putatively involved with AI toxicity. Because sugarcane has a good performance in soils with toxic levels of AI, there is a good chance to identify interesting genes and pathways related to AI tolerance. Due to the high degree of conservation between sugarcane and other related species that suffer with the AI toxicity, such as maize and barley, these genes will be a valuable tool to understand and manipulate the AI tolerance in these species. In fact, we have been using nylon macroarrays containing sugarcane EST and we have identified three maize genes that were induced by AI stress. (AU)

Scientific publications

(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)

DA COSTA NETTO, ANTONIO PAULINO; DRUMMOND, RODRIGO DUARTE; FELIX, JULIANA DE MARIA; JORGE, RENATO ATILIO; MENOSSI, MARCELO. Avaliação da performance de diferentes plásticos usados para selar arranjos de cDNA em náilon. Ciência e Agrotecnologia, v. 33, n. SI, p. 1883-1887, 2009. (00/07433-0)

DA COSTA NETTO, ANTONIO PAULINO; DRUMMOND, RODRIGO DUARTE; FELIX, JULIANA DE MARIA; JORGE, RENATO ATILIO; MENOSSI, MARCELO. EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT PLASTICS USED TO SEAL NYLON cDNA ARRAYS. Ciência e Agrotecnologia, v. 33, p. 5-pg., 2009-01-01. (00/07433-0)