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.

Download the abstract

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…

Smoke taint: Understanding and addressing the compositional consequences of grapevine exposure to smoke

Climate change has become a major challenge for grape and wine production around the world

Read More

Are all red wines equals regarding their vulnerability to Brettanomyces bruxellensis ?

Odours deemed harmful by the consumer and described as “stable”, “horse sweat” or “burnt plastic” can be found in wines. The responsible molecules are volatile phenols, produced by a spoilage yeast: brettanomyces bruxellensis. This species is particularly well adapted to the wine environment and can resists many stresses such as a high alcohol level, a low ph or high levels of SO2, more or less efficiently depending on the strain considered.

Read More

Molecular binding mechanisms between grape seed polypeptides and wine anthocyanins by fluorescence spectroscopy and computational techniques

In recent years, proteins endogenous to grape have become of great interest to the wine industry because they represent a new alternative to other biopolymers subjected to more legal restrictions (i.e. animal origin and synthetics) that can be used in technological applications to modulate sensory attributes such as wine color and have a positive impact on wine quality.

Read More

Physiological behavior of the Chasselas grape variety under water deficit: 30 years of experiments in Switzerland

In the context of increasingly hot and dry summers, the adoption of innovative irrigation technologies has become essential for maintaining grape production while minimizing water use.

Read More

Anthocyanin accumulation and extractability during the maturation of the grapes of three varieties

Anthocyanin accumulation and extractability were studied in Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes produced in the south of Uruguay in two consecutive seasons. Typical cultivation situations employed in the region for each variety were considered. A follow-up was carried out, considering 60 plants per vineyard, and the harvest was determined according to the technological indices of maturity. Samples of grapes were taken in duplicate in each vineyard periodically along grape maturation. The basic composition, polyphenolic potential and anthocyanin extractability were determined. Also, half of grapes were frozen and later peeled; skin extractions over 24 hs with a solution of 12% ethanol and pH 3.2 were carried out. The anthocyanin contents of the extracts obtained were determined by HPLC-DAD. The levels of anthocyanins reached the highest values before technological maturity. Anthocyanin extractability had a decrease during grape maturation.

Read More