Della, the gene of green revolution: characterization and analysis of its function in sucrose accumulation and source-sink regulation in sugarcane

• Grant number: 14/15458-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: January 04, 2015
• End date: January 03, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Grantee: Rafael Garcia Tavares
• Supervisor: Prakash Lakshmanan
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly (SRA), Australia
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/06877-9 - DELLA, the gene of green revolution. Caracterization and analysis of your function in sucrose accumulation and source-sink regulation in sugarcane, BP.DR

Abstract

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp) is among the most important crops in Brazil, with a high impact in the economy due to the high consume of ethanol. The maturation phase in the sugarcane development is especially interesting, because this species has a unique ability to accumulate sucrose in the culms. Interestingly, there is a lack of knowledge on the source-sink regulation. Conversely, the use of plant regulators on sugarcane crop, such as gibberellins (GA) and ethylene (ethrel) has been a usual practice for the increase of biomass and sucrose accumulation, and for blocking flowering (which reduces sucrose levels in the culms). Despite the fact that ethylene and gibberellin play a contrary role in the plant growth (ethylene inhibits and gibberellin stimulates growth), the DELLA protein is a good candidate for the growth regulation between these two hormones. DELLA genes are largely known as the genes of the green revolution, since they were responsibly by semi-dwarf character of the cereals, proportioning the increase in the world production during the 60s´ and 70s. Thereby, the present research topic will characterize the sugarcane DELLA gene and, by using transgenic sugarcane, understand the function these hormones in the sucrose accumulation through source-sink regulation in plant. (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)

TAVARES, RAFAEL GARCIA; LAKSHMANAN, PRAKASH; PEITER, EDGAR; O'CONNELL, ANTHONY; CALDANA, CAMILA; VICENTINI, RENATO; SOARES, JOSE SERGIO; MENOSSI, MARCELO. ScGAI is a key regulator of culm development in sugarcane. Journal of Experimental Botany, v. 69, n. 16, p. 3823-3837, JUL 20 2018. (13/15576-5, 14/15458-5, 12/06877-9)