On a Cold Night: Transcriptomics of Grapevine Flower Unveils Signal Transduction and Impacted Metabolism

Abstract

Low temperature is a critical environmental factor limiting plant productivity, especially in northern vineyards. To clarify the impact of this stress on grapevine flower, we used the Vitis array based on Roche-NimbleGen technology to investigate the gene expression of flowers submitted to a cold night. Our objectives were to identify modifications in the transcript levels after stress and during recovery. Consequently, our results confirmed some mechanisms known in grapes or other plants in response to cold stress, notably, (1) the pivotal role of calcium/calmodulin-mediated signaling; (2) the over-expression of sugar transporters and some genes involved in plant defense (especially in carbon metabolism), and (3) the down-regulation of genes encoding galactinol synthase (GOLS), pectate lyases, or polygalacturonases. We also identified some mechanisms not yet known to be involved in the response to cold stress, i.e., (1) the up-regulation of genes encoding G-type lectin S-receptor-like serine threonine-protein kinase, pathogen recognition receptor (PRR5), or heat-shock factors among others; (2) the down-regulation of Myeloblastosis (MYB)-related transcription factors and the Constans-like zinc finger family; and (3) the down-regulation of some genes encoding Pathogen-Related (PR)-proteins. Taken together, our results revealed interesting features and potentially valuable traits associated with stress responses in the grapevine flower. From a long-term perspective, our study provides useful starting points for future investigation.

Leaf transcriptome analysis of Lancaster versus other heterotic groups’ maize inbred lines revealed different regulation of cold‐responsive genes

“…Cytochrome b559 protects PSII from photo‐damage by providing a secondary electron transport pathway when the primary one is inhibited (Shinopoulos & Brudvig, 2012). This is concordant with the report of increased levels of cytochrome 559 genes in grapevine 2 hr upon cold night (in duration of 8 hr) (Sawicki et al., 2019). CIPK15 encodes for CIPK serine‐threonine protein kinase 15, localized in nucleus and mitochondria, acting as a calcium sensor involved in plant's response to abiotic stress (Manik et al., 2015), including cold stress response (Kolukisaoglu et al., 2004; Miura & Furumoto, 2013).…”

“…Cytochrome b559 protects PSII from photo-damage by providing a secondary electron transport pathway when the primary one is inhibited (Shinopoulos & Brudvig, 2012). This is concordant with the report of increased levels of cytochrome 559 genes in grapevine 2 hr upon cold night (in duration of 8 hr) (Sawicki et al, 2019).…”

Biosynthesis and Cellular Functions of Tartaric Acid in Grapevines

“…For the purpose of this analysis we assumed that VvLidh (VIT_16s0100g00290) represents transcripts of both VvLidh1 and VvLidh3 . Most datasets ( Table 1 ) exhibited no changes in expression of VvLidh nor Vv2kgr (VIT_09s0002g04300), including experiments featuring water limitation ( Berdeja et al, 2015 ; Catacchio et al, 2019 ), cold night temperature ( Sawicki et al, 2019 ), elevated light ( du Plessis et al, 2017 ), diurnal regulation ( Rienth et al, 2014 ), salt stress in leaves ( Upadhyay et al, 2018 ; Das and Majumder, 2019 ), increased source-sink ratio via cluster thinning ( Pastore et al, 2011 ), copper stress ( Leng et al, 2015 ) and abscisic acid application ( Rattanakon et al, 2016 ; Pilati et al, 2017 ). In an experiment reporting the differential terroir effect on Cabernet Sauvignon berries in Bordeaux and Reno, there was also no change, but these experimental samples were skins collected during late ripening so expression of VvLidh was likely low anyway ( Cramer et al, 2020 ).…”

Insight into Carbohydrate Metabolism and Signaling in Grapevine Buds during Dormancy Progression

“…Indeed, significant changes in sugars and related genes transcription were observed. The raffinose accumulation dynamics appear to confirm its greater correlation to freezing tolerance compared to other soluble sugars [19], with the increase in raffinose already detectable in the early stages of the considered period. The transient decline on 25 November suggests that raffinose can rapidly respond to changes in temperature, as the highest maximum of the period was recorded on that date (Figure 2).…”

“…In particular, raffinose has been shown to be mostly related to cold resistance and was shown to accumulate earlier in cold-tolerant cultivars compared to cold-sensitive ones [13]. Consistently, the induction of genes coding for raffinose synthase has been observed in grapevine flowers after a cold night, which is coherent with their role as an osmoprotectant [19]. Moreover, freezing tolerance enhancement has also been associated with bud water content reduction [20].…”