Functional characterization of ScPetC sugar cane gene in transgenic tobacco plants

• Grant number: 12/12203-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Grantee: Carolina Ribeiro Liberato Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/52146-0 - Sugarcane signaling and regulatory networks, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

Sugarcane is one of the most important cultivated plants in Brazil and the estimated production in the 2011/2012 harvest is 571 million tones. The productivity of sugarcane is affected by various environmental factors, and drought is considered as the major abiotic stress. The production of new cultivars with increased drought tolerance can help to increase productivity and enhance the sustainability in the sugarcane fields. This work aims to understand the function of the ScPetC gene, encoding a protein with similarity to Iron Sulfur Proteins. This gene is induced by drought in sugarcane and preliminary studies showed that its overexpression in tobacco increases tolerance to stress. The objective of this project is to further evaluate the role of ScPetC. We propose to assess the subcellular localization of the ScPETC protein and the localization of the ScPetC transcripts. We also will complement the assays to evaluate the tolerance to drought in the transgenic plants overexpressing ScPetC, including the evaluation of biomass and gas exchange parameters.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SILVA, Carolina Ribeiro Liberato. Functional characterization of ScPetC sugarcane gene in transgenic tobacco plants. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.