Grapevines, although adapted to occasional drought or salt stress, are relatively sensitive to growth- and yield-limiting salinity stress. To understand the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and identify genes commonly regulated by both stresses in grapevine, we investigated transcript profiles in leaves of the salt-tolerant grapevine rootstock 1616C under salt- and ER-stress. Among 1643 differentially expressed transcripts at 6 h post-treatment in leaves, 29 were unique to ER stress, 378 were unique to salt stress, and 16 were common to both stresses. At 24 h post-treatment, 243 transcripts were unique to ER stress, 1150 were unique to salt stress, and 168 were common to both stresses. GO term analysis identified genes in categories including ‘oxidative stress’, ‘protein folding’, ‘transmembrane transport’, ‘protein phosphorylation’, ‘lipid transport’, ‘proteolysis’, ‘photosynthesis’, and ‘regulation of transcription’. The expression of genes encoding transporters, transcription factors, and proteins involved in hormone biosynthesis increased in response to both ER and salt stresses. KEGG pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes for both ER and salt stress were divided into four main categories including; carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, signal transduction and lipid metabolism. Differential expression of several genes was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis, which validated our microarray results. We identified transcripts for genes that might be involved in salt tolerance and also many genes differentially expressed under both ER and salt stresses. Our results could provide new insights into the mechanisms of salt tolerance and ER stress in plants and should be useful for genetic improvement of salt tolerance in grapevine.

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The pear (Pyrus communis L.) is a fruit species grown in many temperate regions of the world. Turkey harbours a rich and ancient pear germplasm adapted to diverse ecological regions of the country. The aim of this study was to genetically characterise locally grown Anatolian pear germplasm. We have analysed large numbers (228) of pear accessions originated from six eco-geographically diverse regions using 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and identified 308 SSR alleles. Genetic similarities among the accessions examined were generally below 80%. The highest heterozygosity rate was obtained for the SSR locus 'CH02D11' derived from apples and 'KA16' and 'NH0021a' derived from pears. No identical or synonymous genotypes were found, while five homonymous genotypes were identified. Factorial correspondence analysis could not clearly separate different pear accession groups studied, suggesting that Anatolian pear accessions were intermixed possibly due to gene flow and/or germplasm movements between different eco-geographical regions. However, most pear accessions were grouped according to their collection sites in structure analyses. The SSR data reported here for Anatolian pear accessions will be valuable for future germplasm management efforts as well as for comparative studies that investigate genetic relationships of pears from Anatolia and the surrounding regions.

The apple is one of the most important fruit species in the world. Turkey has a diverse and ancient apple germplasm that have played a major role in the domestication of the Malus genus. However, so far locally grown Anatolian apple germplasm has largely been uncharacterized. In this study, 171 local apple (M. domestica Borkh.) accessions originated from eco‐geographically diverse regions of Anatolia were studied using 16 SSR (simple sequence repeat) loci, which generated 254 alleles. Of the SSR markers used, the CH04g10 locus showed the highest allele diversity. Relatively high genetic similarities were found between some accessions. The factorial correspondence analysis did not clearly separate different all apple accession groups, suggesting that Anatolian apple accessions are highly intermixed. However, most apple accessions were grouped according to their collection sites in structure analyses. In addition, reflecting the richness of the Anatolian apple germplasm, low numbers of synonymous, and identical accessions were identified among the germplasm. Finally, using the publically available SSR data generated in other studies, we investigated genetic relationships between Anatolian accession groups and European apple accession groups. Our results reported here provide a useful base for future studies aimed at investigating the genetic diversity of wild and cultivated apples from Anatolia and the surrounding regions.

ABSTRACT. We conducted simple sequence repeat (SSR) analyses of 15 traditional quince (Cydonia oblonga) cultivars from Anatolian gene sources for molecular characterization and investigation of genetic relationships. Three pear and two apple cultivars were used as references for SSR locus data analysis and to determine allele profiles between species. Eight SSR loci that were developed from apple and pear were used, and a total of 44 alleles were found among quince cultivars. The CH01F02 locus was found to have the highest identification probability, while the CH04E03 locus had the lowest identification probability. Analysis of similarity ratios between quince cultivars showed that the lowest similarity ratio was 18% (Eşme-Bardacık), while the highest similarity ratio was 87% (Bursa-Osmancık and Osmancık-Viranyadevi). In the phylogenetic dendrogram, Eşme quince showed separate branching from other quince cultivars, and no synonymous accessions were found. These results suggest that SSR markers from pear and apple could be used to determine genetic 5881 ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 12 (4): 5880-5888 (2013) Anatolian quince cultivars variation among quince cultivars. These findings can be used to guide future quince breeding and management studies.