The Vitis vinifera sugar transporter gene family: phylogenetic overview and macroarray expression profiling
Damien Afoufa-Bastien1, Anna Medici, Julien Jeauffre
1UMR-CNRS-UP 6503, Laboratoire de Catalyse en Chimie Organique, Equipe Physiologie Moléculaire du Transport de Sucres, Université de Poitiers, Bâtiment Botanique, 40 Avenue du Recteur Pineau, 86022 Poitiers cedex, France.
BMC Plant Biology
|November 16, 2010
Summary
Grapevine sugar transporter genes are similar to those in other plants, with specific genes showing varied expression during development and in different organs. This research aids understanding of plant sugar transport and berry development.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Sugars function as nutrients and signaling molecules in plants, transported by sugar transporters.
- Sugar transporters are crucial for long-distance transport and cellular allocation of sugars.
- The grapevine genome allows for identification and phylogenetic comparison of sugar transporter gene families with Arabidopsis thaliana.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize sucrose and monosaccharide transporter gene families in grapevine (Vitis vinifera).
- To compare grapevine sugar transporters with those in Arabidopsis thaliana using phylogenetic analysis.
- To investigate the expression patterns and potential sugar regulation of grapevine sugar transporter genes.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of protein sequences to identify orthologs between grapevine and Arabidopsis.
- Bioinformatic search for cis-regulatory elements in promoter sequences of transporter genes.
- Macroarray analysis to profile the expression of 20 selected sugar transporter genes across different organs and developmental stages.
Main Results:
- Grapevine possesses 4 sucrose and 59 monosaccharide transporter loci, with the latter divided into 7 subfamilies.
- Phylogenetic analysis confirmed orthologs between Vitis and Arabidopsis sugar transporters.
- Macroarray analysis identified specific sugar transporters (VvHT1, VvHT3, VvPMT5, VvSUC27) highly expressed in vegetative organs.
- Expression of VvHT2, VvTMT1, and VvTMT2 genes is regulated during berry development.
- Three hexose transporter genes (VvHT3, VvHT5, VvHT2) exhibit organ-specific expression in seeds, roots, or mature leaves.
Conclusions:
- Grapevine sugar transporter gene families are comparable to those of herbaceous species.
- Macroarray profiling provides insights into the physiological roles of grapevine sugar transporters in plant and berry development.
- The findings enhance the understanding of plant sugar transporter functions and regulation.
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