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…

Effect of nanofiltration on the chemical composition and wine quality

In Enology the conventional processes of filtration for clarification and stabilization are giving place to alternative membrane processes, including nanofiltration (NF). Furthermore, the increased alcohol content in wines recorded in recent years became an important issue for all the main wine producing countries. Among techniques available to the wine industry to reduce the ethanol content, NF is certainly one of the newest. This study is focused on the evaluation of NF influence on wine physical-chemical composition, including mineral content, which in accordance to our best knowledge is a novelty.

Bees, climate changes, and “environmental sustainability 4.1c” in viticulture and the territory for a new global multiproductive “biometaethical district 4.1c”

The use of bees as pollinators in vine varieties with physiologically female flowers (Picolit, Bicane, Ceresa, Moscato rosa, etc.) (Cargnello, 1983) and as bio-indicators for biodiversity and environmental sustainability is well-known. Furthermore, there are interests in: 1-a. Making the viticulture of Belluno (Province of Veneto in North-eastern Italy, which is also famous for the Dolomites -a UNESCO World Heritage-) regain the socioeconomic role which it is entitled to and which it had got in its past by aiming at the enhancement of local grape variety in harmony with others, for example with the neighboring area of the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG; 2-a. Maintaining and further improving the important natural and healthy environment of Belluno, and making its territory and the “lookout” means of the environmental sustainability, including its vineyards, even more naturally original and sustainable 4.1C.

Estimating grapevine water status: a combined analysis of hyperspectral image and 3d point clouds

Mild to moderate and timely water deficit is desirable in grape production to optimize fruit quality for winemaking. It is crucial to develop robust and rapid approaches to assess grapevine water stress for scheduling deficit irrigation. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has the potential to detect changes in leaf water status, but the robustness and accuracy are restricted in field applications.

Effects of graft quality on growth and grapevine-water relations

Climate change is challenging viticulture worldwide compromising its sustainability due to warmer temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme events. Grafting Vitis vinifera L.

Mapping natural terroir units using a multivariate approach and legacy data

This work aimed at setting up a multivariate and geostatistical methodology to map natural terroir units of the viticultural areas at the province scale (1:125,000).