Identification and characterization of the WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) genes family in Passiflora organensis

• Grant number: 17/26653-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Pant Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Carnier Dornelas
• Grantee: Mariana Bombardi da Silva
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Passiflora genus, inserted in the Passifloraceae family, order Malpighiales, is formed by approximately 600 species, with different habits of life. The plants architecture and the floral morphology of this genus are very diverse. In model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, changes in floral morphology, as well as in plant architecture, depend on the behavior of the stem meristem (vegetative, inflorescence and floral), whose control is directly related to the expression of the WUSCHEL (WUS) gene belonging to the WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) gene group.The sequencing of P. organensis genome, the first genome to be sequenced within the Passiflora genus, will allow the identification and analysis of key genes expression in the development of this genus plants. The present work intends to identify and characterize the members of the WOX gene family in Passiflora, with a focus on investigating the role of the WUS gene in P. organensis by analyzing the gene expression by qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization.