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…

Biological control of the vineyard: new microbiological findings from CREA-VE

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 75.866 km2 of the world is dedicated to grape cultivation. About 71.0% of the world’s grape production is destined for winemaking, 27.0% for consumption as fresh fruit and 2.0% as raisin. Grape production is mainly hindered by fungal infections, that can develop both in field and post-harvest.

Harnessing whole genome sequencing data to predict protein structure and function variation in grapevine

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is amongst the world’s most cultivated fruit crops, and of global and economic significance, producing a wide variety of grape-derived products, including wine, and table grapes. The genus Vitis, encompassing approximately 70 naturally occurring inter-fertile species, exhibits extensive genetic and phenotypic diversity, highlighted by the global cultivation of thousands of predominantly Vitis vinifera cultivars. Despite the importance of harnessing its naturally occurring genetic diversity to pursue traits of interest, especially considering the continued and growing demand for sustainable high-quality grape production, the systematic characterization of available functional genetic variants remains limited.

Relationship between terroir and vegetative potential, productivity, yield and must composition of Vitis Vinífera L. Cvs. Cabernet Sauvignon under warm climate conditions

One cultivar could produce distinct wines with typical properties and qualities different depending on its cultivated and its mesoclimatic conditions.

Multivariate characterization of Italian monovarietal red wines using FTIR spectroscopy

The assessment of wine authenticity is of great importance for consumers, producers and regulatory agencies to guarantee the geographical origin of wines and grape variety as well. Since mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy with chemometrics represent a suitable tool to ascertain the wine composition, including features associated with the polyphenolic compounds, the aim of this study was to generate MIR spectra of red wines to be exploited for classification of red wines based on the relationship between grape variety and wine composition. Several multivariate data analyses were used, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Discriminant Analysis (DA), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Soft Intelligent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA).

PIWIs’ variation in drought response under semi-controlled conditions 

Grapevine interspecific hybrids (PIWIs, from German “pilzwiderstandsfähige Rebsorten” meaning fungus tolerant grapevine cultivars), offer a promising alternative to traditional cultivars in many wine regions due to their tolerance to certain fungal diseases. This makes them a potential solution for sustainable wine production, particularly under organic systems. Despite extensive research on certain agronomic traits and susceptibility to biotic diseases, such as powdery and downy mildews, the response of these cultivars to abiotic stressors, such as drought, remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate the eco-physiological traits of two commercial PIWI cultivars, Muscaris and Souvignier gris, at the leaf level to evaluate their response to drought stress.