Role of bHLH transcription factors in ACC synthase transcriptional control

• Grant number: 15/14481-6
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira
• Grantee: Valter Miotto Alessio
• Supervisor abroad: Takato Imaizumi
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Local de pesquisa : University of Washington, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/15172-4 - Transcription factors controlling ACC synthase expression in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.), BP.DD

Abstract

Ethylene is a phytohormone involved in the regulation of several aspects of plant development and the responses to biotic and abiotic stress. The reaction catalyzed by the ACS enzyme (ACC synthase) is an important step in ethylene biosynthesis. Despite the fact that the physiological and environmental cues leading in high ethylene production were extensively described, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the triggering of ethylene synthesis. An approach to understand these mechanisms is the identification of the elements that control the ACS gene expression. We have identified a set of bHLH transcription factors that bind to the promoter of sugarcane ACS gene, and this interaction has not been described even in model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana. The Arabidopsis homologues are involved in the photoperiodic flowering regulation. In this study, we aim to confirm the regulation of ACS by bHLHs in sugarcane, and investigate their role in ACS regulation in A. thaliana. This project may open new perspectives for more detailed studies concerning the rhythmic control of ethylene synthesis in plants.