terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Identification of a stable epi-allele associated with flower development and low bunch compactness in a somatic variant of Tempranillo Tinto

Identification of a stable epi-allele associated with flower development and low bunch compactness in a somatic variant of Tempranillo Tinto

Abstract

Grapevine cultivars are vegetatively propagated to preserve their varietal characteristics. However, spontaneous somatic variations that occur and are maintained during cycles of vegetative growth offer opportunities for the natural improvement of traditional grape cultivars. One advantageous trait for winegrowing is reduced bunch compactness, which decreases the susceptibility to pests and fungal diseases and favor an even berry ripening. In this study, we examined a loose bunch somatic variant of Tempranillo Tinto cultivar (TT) to elucidate the molecular basis underlying this variation. The variant displayed a masculinized flower phenotype, characterized by an underdeveloped yet functional gynoecium, with reduced development of the style, stigma and septum, as compared to the complete hermaphroditic flowers typically observed in TT. Genetic analysis of its self-progeny demonstrated the co-segregation of the masculinized flower phenotype with the hermaphrodite allele of the grape sex locus (SDR)[1]. While genome re-sequencing did not identify any genetic variation within the SDR locus, an RNA-seq analysis identified one SDR-located gene over-expressed in the somatic variant compared to a control TT clone. The hermaphrodite allele was specifically over-expressed in the variant. Both Illumina WGBS and Nanopore epigenomic analyses identified a hermaphrodite allele-specific hyper-methylated region upstream of the upregulated gene. Analysis of chromatin conformation capture (3C) revealed a three-dimensional rearrangement of the locus, including the presence of a novel 36 kb chromatin loop delimiting the hyper-methylated region, which could be responsible for the over-expression and the phenotype. These findings indicate that somatic epi-alleles in the SDR locus can determine variation in gynoecium development leading to decreased fruit set and looser bunches in grapevine.

Acknowledgements: This study is part of the projects BIO-2017-86375-R and PID2020-120183RB-I00, and PRE-2018-086017 grant funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. This study is also part of the vWISE project.

1)  Massonnet, M., Cochetel, N., Minio, A., Vondras, A. M., Lin, J., Muyle, A., Garcia, J. F., Zhou, Y., Delledonne, M., Riaz, S., Figueroa-Balderas, R., Gaut, B. S., & Cantu, D. (2020). The genetic basis of sex determination in grapes. Nature Communications, 11(1), 1–12. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16700-z

DOI:

Publication date: October 4, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Alañón, Noelia1*; Ferradás, Yolanda2; Lijavetzky, Diego3; Ferrero, Lucía4; Martínez-Zapater, José Miguel1; Ariel, Federico4; Carbonell-Bejerano, Pablo1; Ibáñez, Javier1

1 Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino (ICVV, CSIC-CAR-UR), Departamento de Viticultura, Logroño, Spain
2 Departamento de Biología Funcional, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
3 Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza (IBAM), CONICET, FCA-UNCuyo, Almirante Brown 500, M5528AHB, Chacras de Coria, Mendoza, Argentina
4 Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168km 0, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina

Contact the author*

Keywords

bunch compactness, somatic variation, flower development, chromatin conformation, epiallele

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Uncovering the interplay between Copper and SO2 tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.20.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Adsorption of tetraconazole by organic residues and vineyard organically-amended soils 

Spain is the country with the largest wine-producing area in the EU and its productivity is largely controlled applying fungicides. However, residues of these compounds can move and contaminate surface and groundwater. The objective of this work was to evaluate the capacity of bioadsorbents from different origin to adsorb and immobilize tetraconazole by themselves or when applied as organic soil amendment, and to prevent soil and water contamination by this fungicide. The adsorption of tetraconazole by 3 organic residues: spent mushroom substrate (SMS), green compost (GC) and vine pruning sawdust (VP), as well as by vineyard soils unamended and amended individually with these residues at 1.5% (w/w) was evaluated using the batch equilibrium technique.

Possible methods of adaptation to the effects of climate change in the Tokaj Wine Region 

Viticulture’s adaptation to the harmful effects of climate change is globally the biggest challenge of the near future. Short, extremely intensive rainfalls and longer periods of drought are getting more frequent in the Tokaj Wine Region, where the majority of the vineyards are cultivated on steep slopes. Hence, erosion has high risk, especially when combined with the loess-based soils on about ten percent of the region. The environmentally beneficial cover crop and mulch usage can effectively reduce the risk of erosion, according to research done by the Tokaj Wine Region Research Institute of Viticulture and Oenology.

Impact of temperature and solar radiation on grape composition variability in the Saint-Emilion winegrowing area 

Grape composition is strongly influenced by climate conditions. Their expected modifications in near future, notably because of increased temperatures, could significantly modify the biochemical composition of berries at harvest, and thus wine typicity and quality. Elevated temperatures favor sugar accumulation in grapes, enhance malic acid degradation and modify the amino acid content. They also reduce significantly anthocyanin accumulation in Merlot, leading to the imbalance between anthocyanins and sugars, while no significant effects on final anthocyanin levels were reported in Tempranillo[1] and finally affect aromas or aroma precursors.

Stomatal abundance in grapevine: developmental genes, genotypic variation, and physiology

Grapevine cultivation is threatened by the global warming, which combines high temperatures and reduced rainfall, impacting in wine quality and even plant survival. Breeding for varieties resilient to these challenges must address plant traits such as tolerance to supraoptimal temperatures and optimized water use efficiency while minimizing productivity and quality losses. Stomatal abundance (SA) determines the maximum leaf potential for transpiration and thus water loss and cooling. Since SA results from a developmental process during leaf emergence and growth, knowledge on the genetic control of this process would provide specific targets for modification.