Galactinol synthase transcriptional profile in two genotypes of Coffea canephora with contrasting tolerance to drought.
Increased synthesis of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) has been reported in vegetative tissues in response to a range of abiotic stresses. In this work, we evaluated the transcriptional profile of a Coffea canephora galactinol synthase gene (CcGolS1) in two clones that differed in tolerance to water deficit in order to assess the contribution of this gene to drought tolerance. The expression of CcGolS1 in leaves was differentially regulated by water deficit, depending on the intensity of stress and the genotype. In clone 109A (drought-susceptible), the abundance of CcGolS1 transcripts decreased upon exposure to drought, reaching minimum values during recovery from severe water deficit and stress. In contrast, CcGolS1 gene expression in clone 14 (drought-tolerant) was stimulated by water deficit. Changes in galactinol and RFO content did not correlate with variation in the steady-state transcript level. However, the magnitude of increase in RFO accumulation was higher in the tolerant cultivar, mainly under severe water deficit. The finding that the drought-tolerant coffee clone showed enhanced accumulation of CcGolS1 transcripts and RFOs under water deficit suggests the possibility of using this gene to improve drought tolerance in this important crop.
Laboratório de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agronomia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
Tiago Benedito Dos
TB
Santos
Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Rogério Barbosa
RB
de Lima
Área de Ecofisiologia, Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
Getúlio Takashi
GT
Nagashima
Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Carmen Lucia de Oliveira
CL
Petkowicz
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Agronomia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
Valéria
V
Carpentieri-Pípolo
Laboratório de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil ; Embrapa Café, Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Luiz Filipe Protasio
LF
Pereira
Laboratório de Biotecnologia Vegetal, Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
Douglas Silva
DS
Domingues
Universidade do Oeste Paulista, Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Luiz Gonzaga Esteves
LG
Vieira
coffee; drought stress; raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs)