Genome-wide analysis of short RNAs as modulators in dehydration stress tolerance using tolerant and genetic model systems (ERA-PG 030)
Final Report Abstract
The lack of understanding of drought tolerance mechanisms has impeded efforts to improve drought tolerance of crop plants. Production of the next generation of dehydration tolerant crops requires a better understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of dehydration tolerance. Our objective was to combine the expertise developed in German, Portuguese and UK laboratories to explore the roles of regulatory small 21-25nt RNAs (sRNAs) in dehydration tolerance using dehydration tolerant and genetic model systems. New families of stress associated sRNAs were identified using bioinformatics and high throughput genomics tools. The potential of these sRNAs will be characterised in transgenic plants. Our results will have important implications for gene regulation under dehydration stress, engineering stress tolerance and also contribute significantly to the long-term goal of having a comprehensive profile of sRNAs in different plant species. A major finding ís that a set of stress-regulated micro RNAs is conserved within different plant species and only very few microRNAs appear to be species specific. This finding implies that stress-related regulation of gene expression is conserved. The major achievements of the project are: 1. Identification of eight new miRNAs in Medicago truncatula that are not similar to known miRNAs in other species. 2. Identification of one down-regulated and two up-regulated miRNAs in M. truncatula during dehydration stress. 3. Generation of a genome wide cleaved mRNA library (degradome library) during different stages of water stress. This library contains mRNA fragments that are cleaved by miRNAs or other small RNAs. This library has been just sequenced on the Illumina GA II platform and will serve an invaluable resource for the community.
Publications
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BMC Genomics 9:593 (2008)
Pedro M.S. Fevereiro, Tamas Dalmay
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(2009). “Characterization of conserved microRNAs differentially expressed in response to drought stress in Medicago truncatula”. Book of Abstracts of Plant Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Vienna, Austria, February 8-11
Trindade I., Santos D., Dalmay T., Fevereiro P.
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(2009). “Characterization of conserved water deficit inducible microRNAs and their targets in Medicago truncatula”. Book of Abstracts of Model Legume Congress, Asilomar, USA, June 12-16
Trindade I., Capitão C., Dalmay T., Fevereiro P., Santos D.
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(2010). “Are microRNAs involved in the modulation of the responses to water deficit in Medicago truncatula?”. Satelite Workshop on SmallRNAs in Legumes - Vth International Congress on Legume Genetics and Genomics Asilomar, EUA, July 2-8
Trindade I., Garcês H., Dalmay T., Santos D., Fevereiro P.
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(2010). “On the microRNA regulation of water deficit responses in vegetative Medicago truncatula". Les conférences de groupe – Institute des Sciences Végétal – CNRS Paris
Pedro Fevereiro
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Planta Volume 231, Number 3, 705-716 (2010)
Pedro M.S. Fevereiro, Tamas Dalmay
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(2010). Response to drought stress and regulation by small RNAs in Medicago truncatula. Model Legume Congress 2011 Saint Maxime France 15-19 May
Pedro Fevereiro
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(2011). Desiccation tolerance mechanisms in resurrection plants. Keystone Symposium: Plant abiotic stress tolerance
Dorothea Bartels
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(2011). Facing the environment: small RNAs and the regulation of gene expression under abiotic stress in plants. In: Shanker A., Venkateswarlu B., eds. Abiotic Stress Response in Plants - Physiological, Biochemical and Genetic Perspectives. pp. 113-136. InTech
Trindade I., Santos D., Dalmay T., Fevereiro P.
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(2011). Mining the transcriptome of the desiccation tolerant resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum. 9th Plant Genomics European Meeting, Istanbul
Dorothea Bartels
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(2011). Resurrection Plants: Physiology and Molecular Biology in Desiccation tolerance in plants. In: Ecological Studies 215, 339-364 (D.Bartels, E. Beck, U. Lüttge eds) Springer, Heidelberg
Bartels D., Hussain S.S
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BMC Plant Biology 2011, 11:79 (2011)
Tamas Dalmay
