title: Transcript Analysis and Regulative Events during Flower Development in Olive (Olea europaea L.).
abstract: The identification and characterization of transcripts involved in flower organ development, plant reproduction and metabolism represent key steps in plant phenotypic and physiological pathways, and may generate high-quality transcript variants useful for the development of functional markers. This study was aimed at obtaining an extensive characterization of the olive flower transcripts, by providing sound information on the candidate MADS-box genes related to the ABC model of flower development and on the putative genetic and molecular determinants of ovary abortion and pollen-pistil interaction. The overall sequence data, obtained by pyrosequencing of four cDNA libraries from flowers at different developmental stages of three olive varieties with distinct reproductive features (Leccino, Frantoio and Dolce Agogia), included approximately 465,000 ESTs, which gave rise to more than 14,600 contigs and approximately 92,000 singletons. As many as 56,700 unigenes were successfully annotated and provided gene ontology insights into the structural organization and putative molecular function of sequenced transcripts and deduced proteins in the context of their corresponding biological processes. Differentially expressed genes with potential regulatory roles in biosynthetic pathways and metabolic networks during flower development were identified. The gene expression studies allowed us to select the candidate genes that play well-known molecular functions in a number of biosynthetic pathways and specific biological processes that affect olive reproduction. A sound understanding of gene functions and regulatory networks that characterize the olive flower is provided.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Fiammetta
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alagna
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Ecophysiology and Biotechnology of Woody Plants, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Science, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cirilli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Genomics, DAFNAE, University of Padova, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galla
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, TRISAIA Research Center, Rotondella (MT), Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, TRISAIA Research Center, Rotondella (MT), Italy.
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Daddiego
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, TRISAIA Research Center, Rotondella (MT), Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Facella
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, TRISAIA Research Center, Rotondella (MT), Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Ecophysiology and Biotechnology of Woody Plants, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Science, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mariotti
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cultrera
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Genomics, DAFNAE, University of Padova, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barcaccia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baldoni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Ecophysiology and Biotechnology of Woody Plants, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Science, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muleo
authors.affiliation: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, TRISAIA Research Center, Rotondella (MT), Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perrotta
mesh_terms: D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D005638:Fruit / Q000254:growth & development; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D058977:Molecular Sequence Annotation; D031658:Olea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D011058:Pollen / Q000502:physiology; D054817:Pollination; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012733:Sex Differentiation / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger