TILLING for mutation discovery in epigenetic regulators involved in tomato fruit development.

• Grant number: 14/16268-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2014
• End date: March 02, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Tebaldi Silveira Nogueira
• Grantee: Antoine Lucien Fernand Gady
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 15/09303-1 - Tilling for mutation discovery in epigenetic regulators involved in tomato fruit development, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Tomato is the model plant for research on fruit development. So far research efforts have focused on understanding fruit development and ripening through the study and exploitation of genetic diversity: how the DNA sequence varies from one accession to another. Until now little efforts have been put into understanding the role of epigenetics into fruit development and ripening. It was demonstrated only recently that DNA methylation in the promoter region of RIN could control RIN expression and therefore control ripening time [1]. Similarly, Ferreira et al. [2] showed that the miR156 is involved in the maintenance of the meristematic state of ovary tissue and therefore control the early stages of tomato fruit development. In tomato, we do not have mutant lines for the major protein involved in neither small RNA maturation nor DNA methylation process. In the present research proposal we intend to identify, with the TILLING method, multiple mutations in two key genes active in small RNA processing: AGO and DCL and in two genes involved in DNA methylation and de-methylation: MET1 and ROS1 respectively. RNAseq and Small RNA sequencing for each mutant lines are the first step toward the identification of epigenetic regulated genes and developmental processes in tomato.