terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Exploring the regulatory role of the grapevine MIXTA homologue in cuticle formation and abiotic stress resilience

Exploring the regulatory role of the grapevine MIXTA homologue in cuticle formation and abiotic stress resilience

Abstract

The outer waxy layer of plant aerial structures, known as the cuticle, represents an important trait that can be targeted to increase plant tolerance against abiotic stresses exacerbated by environmental transition. The MIXTA transcription factor, member of the R2R3-MYB family, is known to affect conical shape of petal epidermal cells in Anthirrinum, cuticular thickness in tomato fruit and trichome formation and morphology in several crops. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the grapevine MIXTA homologue by phenotypic and molecular characterization of overexpressing and knock-out grapevine lines. The leaf cuticle was observed by light microscopy, indicating that stomatal density and other anatomical features, such as trichomes and pavement cell number, were affected by modulation of VviMIXTA. GC-MS analysis found that epicuticular wax loads and composition were similarly impacted. Physiological parameters collected on a randomized set of plants in controlled conditions showed that stomatal conductance was also affected. Selected lines, identified via VviMIXTA gene expression analysis, underwent RNA-seq to evaluate the transcriptomic impact of modulating VviMIXTA expression. The results were cross-referenced with DAP-seq data to identify MIXTA high confidence target genes. Additionally, further integration of the experimental data with in silico resources available for grapevine (e.g., OneGenE and aggregated tissue-specific GCNs) is being conducted for reconstructing MIXTA´s gene regulatory network. Our work explores the potential regulatory role of VviMIXTA in epidermal cell fate and cuticular wax composition in the grapevine leaf, paving the way for molecular breeding to enhance plant resilience and improve berry quality traits.

DOI:

Publication date: June 13, 2024

Issue: Open GPB 2024

Type: Poster

Authors

Carlotta Pirrello1*, Jenna Bryanne Jolliffe1,2, Lorenzo Vittani1, Luis Orduña3, Paolo Sonego1, Michele Faralli1,4, José Tomás Matus3, Stefania Pilati1, Justin Graham Lashbrooke2,5, Claudio Moser1

1 Research and Innovation Centre, Edmund Mach Foundation, San Michele all’Adige, 38098, Italy
2 South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
3 Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de Valencia-CSIC, Paterna, 46908, Valencia, Spain
4 Center Agriculture Food Environment (C3A), University of Trento, via Mach 1, San Michele all’Adige, 38098, Italy
5 Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa

Contact the author*

Keywords

Vitis vinifera, cuticle, stomata, trichomes, multi-omics data

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Open GPB | Open GPB 2024

Citation

Related articles…

Dual mode of action of grape cane extracts against Botrytis cinerea

Crude extracts of Vitis vinifera canes represent a natural source of stilbene compounds with well characterized antifungals properties. In our trials, exogenous application of a stilbene extract (SE) obtained from grape canes on grapevine leaves reduces the necrotic lesions caused by Botrytis cinerea

Characterizing graft union formation in different scion/rootstock combinations of grapevine 

In most viticultural regions, grapevines are cultivated grafted, employing either hybrid or pure species of various American Vitis spp., such as V. berlandieri, V. rupestris, and V. riparia, as grapevine rootstocks. These rootstocks play a crucial role in providing resistance to the Phylloxera insect pest. Beyond Phylloxera resistance, it is desirable for grapevine rootstocks to exhibit resistance to other soil-borne pathogens and adaptability to abiotic stress conditions. The introduction of new rootstocks holds promise for adapting agriculture to climate change without altering the characteristics of the final harvested product.

Towards a better understanding of cultivar susceptibility to esca disease: results from a pluriannual common garden monitoring

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) exhibits a high level of genetic and phenotypic diversity among the approximately 6000 cultivars recorded. This perennial crop is highly vulnerable to numerous fungal diseases, including esca, which is a complex vascular pathology that poses a significant threat to the wine sector, as there is currently no cost-efficient curative method[1]. In this context, an effective approach to mitigate the impact of such diseases is by leveraging the crop’s genetic diversity. Indeed, susceptibility to esca disease appears to vary between cultivars, under artificial or natural infection. However, the mechanisms and varietal characteristics underlying cultivar susceptibility to esca are still unknown.

Hemisynthesis, NMR Characterization and UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap /MS² identification of (+)-Catechin oxidation products in red wines and grape seed extracts

(+)-Catechin—laccase oxidation dimeric standards were hemi-synthesized using laccase from Trametes versicolor in a water-ethanol solution at pH 3.6.

Results of late-wurmian to present-day climatic-geological evolution on to spatial variability of pedologic-geological characters of the AOC Gaillac terroirs (Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées)

The AOC Gaillac area is divided into three main terroirs : « The left bank terraces », « The right bank coteaux » and
« The plateau Cordais ». This division is valid at a regional scale, but it suffers of a number of local-scale exceptions. This spatial variability of the pedologic-geologic characteristics at the plot scale has been derived mainly from the main late-Würmian solifluxion phase occurring at the transition between the peri-glacial climate and the Holocene temperate conditions (13,000-10,000 yrs BP).