title: Transcriptome analysis of Medicago truncatula leaf senescence: similarities and differences in metabolic and transcriptional regulations as compared with Arabidopsis, nodule senescence and nitric oxide signalling.
abstract: Here, for the first time, a comprehensive transcriptomics study is presented of leaf senescence in the legume model Medicago truncatula, providing a broad overview of differentially expressed transcripts involved in this process. The cDNA-amplification fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to identify > 500 genes, which were cloned and sorted into functional categories according to their gene ontology annotation. Comparison between the datasets of Arabidopsis and M. truncatula leaf senescence reveals common physiological events but differences in the nitrogen metabolism and in transcriptional regulation. In addition, it was observed that a minority of the genes regulated during leaf senescence were equally involved in other processes leading to programmed cell death, such as nodule senescence and nitric oxide signalling. This study provides a wide transcriptional profile for the comprehension of key events of leaf senescence in M. truncatula and highlights a possible regulative role for MADS box transcription factors in the terminal phases of the process.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, I-35131 Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Michele
authors.forename: Elide
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Formentin
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todesco
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toppo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carimi
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zottini
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barizza
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrarini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delledonne
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lo Schiavo
mesh_terms: D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D046913:Medicago truncatula / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053204:Root Nodules, Plant / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010940:Plant Proteins; D009569:Nitric Oxide