Transcriptional foliar profile of the C-3-CAM bromeliad Guzmania monostachia

Author(s)

Mercier, Helenice ^[1] ; Rodrigues, Maria Aurineide ^[1] ; da Silva Andrade, Sonia Cristina ^[2] ; Coutinho, Luiz Lehmann ^[3] ; Katayama Gobara, Bruno Nobuya ^[1] ; Matiz, Alejandra ^[1] ; Mioto, Paulo Tamaso ^[4] ; Goncalves, Ana Zangirolame ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Genet & Biol Evolut, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Zootecnia, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Santa Catarina, Ctr Ciencias Biol, Dept Bot, Florianopolis, SC - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PLoS One; v. 14, n. 10 OCT 29 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Guzmania monostachia is an epiphytic tank bromeliad that displays the inducible CAM photosynthesis under stressful conditions and had the highest stomata density in the leaf apex, while the base portion has the highest density of trichomes, which are specialized structures used to acquire water and nutrients from the tank solution. In order to correlate the genetic factors behind these morpho-physiological characteristics along the leaf blade of G. monostachia, a comparative transcriptome analysis was performed to identify the functional enriched pathways and unigenes that could play a role in the apical, middle and basal leaf portions. A total of 653 million reads were used for de novo transcriptome assembly, resulting in 48,051 annotated unigenes. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among distinct leaf regions revealed that 806 DEGs were upregulated in the apex compared to the middle portion, while 9685 DEGs were upregulated in the apex and 9784 DEGs were upregulated in the middle portions compared to the base. Our outcomes correlated some DEGs and identified unigenes with their physiological functions, mainly suggesting that the leaf apex was related to the regulation of stomatal movement, production of chlorophyll, cellular response to stress, and H2O2 catabolic process. In contrast, the middle portion showed DEGs associated with the transport of amino acids. Furthermore, DEGs from the leaf base were mainly correlated with responses to nutrients and nitrogen compounds, regulation of potassium ion import, response to water deprivation, and trichome branching, indicating that, at least in part, this leaf portion can replace some of the root functions of terrestrial plants. Therefore, possibly candidate unigenes and enriched pathways presented here could be prospected in future experimental work, opening new possibilities to bioengineer non-inducible CAM plants and/or improve the fertilization use efficiency by increasing leaf nutrient acquisition of crop plants. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/12667-3 - Exploring the physiological and molecular aspects of Guzmania monostachia (Bromeliaceae): studying the functional pathways of photosynthesis and nutrient responses.
• Grantee: Helenice Mercier
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/09699-5 - Nitrogen metabolism and its interaction with the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in Guzmania monostachia (Bromeliaceae): a physiological and molecular approach
• Grantee: Ana Zangirólame Gonçalves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 11/50637-0 - Competence for Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) expression in epiphytic bromeliad: signaling, modulation of expression, transcriptional profile and interaction with the nitrogen metabolism
• Grantee: Helenice Mercier
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants