Root transcriptome profiling of membrane transporters in rice plants symbiotically associated with mycorrhizal fungi and in response to Arsenic

• Grant number: 11/18097-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Duration: July 01, 2012 - December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Sara Adrian Lopez de Andrade
• Grantee: Sara Adrian Lopez de Andrade
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 12/10767-4 - Root transcriptome profiling of membrane transporters in rice plants symbiotically associated with mycorrhizal fungi and in response to arsenic, BP.JP

Abstract

Around 80% of terrestrial plants are symbiotically associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), in a mutualistic relationship. In a general manner, the association confers nutritional benefits and increases plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, among the latter, those caused by potentially toxic elements as arsenic (As). Some studies showed the attenuation of As stress in mycorrhizal plants. The objective of the project is to analyze the transcriptome of two rice cultivars, one of irrigated and one of highland cultivation, associated or not with AMF and in response to As, in order to elucidate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizae in As uptake and transport. The study will focus membrane transporters involved in As uptake and transport. However, since a huge amount of data will be generated it will not be restricted just to transporters. Except for the ESTs sequencing of a species of AMF and two papers on proteomics of the plant-AMF interaction, there are not other works as the one proposed here to unveil this aspect of this symbiotic relationship. The study will have a RNAseq approach and it pretends to obtain besides the root transcriptome of mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants in response to As, the transcriptome of the AMF extrarradical mycelium. As a complement to the transcriptome it will be performed the analysis of the protein profile using bi-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) that will allow us to obtain information about differentially expressed proteins and correlated the results with plant response and tolerance mechanisms in relation to their mycorrhizal status. It will be used and AMF isolate with partially sequenced genome that, along with the access to rice genome, it will allow us to compare sequences during bioinformatics analysis. Other determinations as growth parameters, mycorrhizal colonization, As and nutrients in tissues and genes validation by in situ hybridization and real time PCR in arbusculated root cells, obtained by laser microdissection, will be also performed. (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)

LOPEZ DE ANDRADE, SARA ADRIAN; DOMINGUES, JR., ADILSON PEREIRA; MAZZAFERA, PAULO. Photosynthesis is induced in rice plants that associate with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and are grown under arsenate and arsenite stress. Chemosphere, v. 134, p. 141-149, SEP 2015. (11/18097-5)