Physiological, biochemical and gene expression analysis in sugarcane plants genetically transformed with the AtBI-1 gene submitted to drought

• Grant number: 11/02710-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal researcher: Helaine Carrer
• Grantee: Mariana de Almeida Barbosa
• Home Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/52066-7 - Functional genomics of photosynthetic genes in sugarcane, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

The sugarcane plant is one of the primary agricultural products in Brazil's economic and social sectors, where its maintenance, production, and productivity are linked to selective breeding with new varieties that have traits of interest. Tissue culturing techniques, with water stress tests in greenhouses can be used to study the selection or tolerance assessment in plants, contributing to understanding of physiological, biochemical, and molecular data from stressful conditions that induce metabolic disorders and activate programmed cell death - MCP. This study assesses stress tolerance levels of hybrid sugarcane plants genetically modified with the AtBI-1 gene, which attenuates MCP, to in the short term, develop varieties adapted to low water availability conditions. Thus, transgenic sugarcane plants micropropagated in vitro will undergo two water stress tests: ex vitro - in a greenhouse with two treatments (daily watering and no watering), and in vitro - in a growth chamber with two treatments (presence or absence of polyethylene glycol-PEG, as stress-inducers). Physiological variables, such as water potential, stomatal and photosynthetic behavior will be studied, where during the same tests, leaves will be collected and used for biochemical analysis and verification of AtBI-1 gene expression levels. The results will provide a detailed behavioral profile of these transgenic plants when subjected to low water availability. (AU)