MOLECULAR RESPONSES TO COASTAL ZONE SALINITY IN THE MANGROVE TREE LAGUNCULARIA RACEMOSA

• Grant number: 23/06411-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Anete Pereira de Souza
• Grantee: Sofia Rengifo Del Aguila
• Host Institution: Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética (CBMEG). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The current state of research on climate change allows us to notice the significant challenges that agriculture will face in the near future. These challenges are closely tied to the ability of plants to respond to increasing intensity and frequency of harmful conditions, such as drought, elevated temperatures, and salinity. Mangroves are an ecosystem that provides numerous environmental services; however, they are currently facing severe impacts from anthropogenic disturbances and climate change. It is predicted that these changes will cause an increase in sea level, resulting in changes in salinity levels that may alter the behavior of the mangrove community. In this sense, understanding the response mechanisms of the vegetal components of mangroves to these conditions is essential from both an ecological perspective and for the development of breeding programs. This project aims to use the white mangrove Laguncularia racemosa as a model to study its response to salinity conditions using transcriptome analysis. To achieve this objective, we will extract and sequence RNA from L. racemosa seedlings exposed to various NaCl concentrations (0g/l, 15g/l, 30g/l). Subsequently, we will assemble the transcriptome de novo, identify differentially expressed genes, and construct gene co-expression networks. With these results, we hope to gain a better understanding of the key genes and pathways involved in the response to salinity in this plant. This knowledge will allow us to explore the details of its adaptation mechanisms to the coastal environment and offer insights into its response to future environmental changes.