title: Sugarcane genes associated with sucrose content.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sucrose content is a highly desirable trait in sugarcane as the worldwide demand for cost-effective biofuels surges. Sugarcane cultivars differ in their capacity to accumulate sucrose and breeding programs routinely perform crosses to identify genotypes able to produce more sucrose. Sucrose content in the mature internodes reach around 20% of the culms dry weight. Genotypes in the populations reflect their genetic program and may display contrasting growth, development, and physiology, all of which affect carbohydrate metabolism. Few studies have profiled gene expression related to sugarcane's sugar content. The identification of signal transduction components and transcription factors that might regulate sugar accumulation is highly desirable if we are to improve this characteristic of sugarcane plants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have evaluated thirty genotypes that have different Brix (sugar) levels and identified genes differentially expressed in internodes using cDNA microarrays. These genes were compared to existing gene expression data for sugarcane plants subjected to diverse stress and hormone treatments. The comparisons revealed a strong overlap between the drought and sucrose-content datasets and a limited overlap with ABA signaling. Genes associated with sucrose content were extensively validated by qRT-PCR, which highlighted several protein kinases and transcription factors that are likely to be regulators of sucrose accumulation. The data also indicate that aquaporins, as well as lignin biosynthesis and cell wall metabolism genes, are strongly related to sucrose accumulation. Moreover, sucrose-associated genes were shown to be directly responsive to short term sucrose stimuli, confirming their role in sugar-related pathways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gene expression analysis of sugarcane populations contrasting for sucrose content indicated a possible overlap with drought and cell wall metabolism processes and suggested signaling and transcriptional regulators to be used as molecular markers in breeding programs. Transgenic research is necessary to further clarify the role of the genes and define targets useful for sugarcane improvement programs based on transgenic plants.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. flastal@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Flávia S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Papini-Terzi
authors.forename: Flávia R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Ricardo Z N
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Vêncio
authors.forename: Juliana M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Diana S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Branco
authors.forename: Alessandro J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Waclawovsky
authors.forename: Luiz E V
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Del Bem
authors.forename: Carolina G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lembke
authors.forename: Maximiller D L
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Milton Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vicentini
authors.forename: Michel G A
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vincentz
authors.forename: Eugênio C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ulian
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Menossi
authors.forename: Glaucia M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D031786:Saccharum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013395:Sucrose / Q000032:analysis*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors; D013395:Sucrose