Genome reprogramming associated with transgressive phenotypes of plant hybrids, a tomato insight.

BURGOS E.; CAUSSE M.; DE LUCA M.B.; PERALTA I. E.; CARRARI F. ; BERMUDEZ L; PASCUAL L. ; ROSSI M.

Lujan de Cuyo

Congreso; . XXXVI Jornadas Argentinas de Botánica. I Simposio Latinoamericano de Solanaceas.; 2017

Sociedad Botánica Argentina

Heterosis, also known as hybrid vigor, is defined as the ability of hybrids to overcome the characteristics presented by their parents. Although heterosis has been extensively used in agriculture, both in plants and animals, the molecular basis that explain this phenomenon have not been elucidated. This lack of knowledge hampers the rational design of hybrids in order to obtain, in a faster and more efficient way, greater benefits resulting from heterotic effects. Evidence obtained for several species allows hypothesizing that alterations in the epigenetic state, mediated by changes in the DNA methylation pattern, play a role in the determination of hybrid vigor. In this context, considering the current state of knowledge about the mechanisms that determine the hybrid vigor and the current technical possibilities in terms of exploring the structure and function of the genomes of higher organisms, this project seeks to provide scientific knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that determine the hybrid vigor in plants. An experimental model of tomato lines (and their corresponding hybrids) was used, a model species of fleshy fruits of high importance in agriculture and human food. For this, we propose an innovative approach that integrates data from the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome and epigenome in a holistic perspective that could detect some hotspots to explain this phenomenon.