Identification of differentially expressed genes potentially involved in the tolerance of Lotus tenuis to long-term alkaline stress.

PAZ R; ROCCO, R; JIMÉNEZ-BREMONT, F; RODRIGUEZ- KESSLER, M; BECERRA, F; ANA BERNARDINA MENENDEZ; O. A. RUIZ

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2014

0981-9428

Soil alkalinity is one of the most serious agricultural problems limiting crop yields. The legume Lotus tenuis is an important forage acknowledged by its ability to naturally grow in alkaline soils. To understand the molecular basis of plant tolerance to alkaline stress in this species, suppression subtractive hybridization was performed to identify genes related to nutrient metabolism and stress relief, and their potential involvement in the adaptive response of L. tenuis to alkalinity was evaluated. Total RNAs from leaves and roots of L. tenuis of non-stressed plants (pH 5.8; E.C. 1.2), and plants stressed by the addition of 10 mM of NaHCO3 (pH 9.0; E.C. 1.9), were used as source of the driver and the tester samples, respectively. RNA samples were collected after 14 and 28 days of treatment. A total of 158 unigenes from leaves and 92 unigenes from roots were obtained and classified into 11 functional categories. Ten unigenes from these categories, that were related with nutrient metabolism and oxidative stress relief were selected, and their differential expression analyzed by qRT-PCR. These genes were found to be differentially expressed in a time dependent manner in L. tenuis during the alkaline stress application. Data generated from this study will contribute to the understanding of the general molecular mechanisms associated to plant tolerance under long-term alkaline stress in plants.