The plasticity of the grapevine berry transcriptome.

Area of Science:

• Plant Genomics
• Molecular Biology
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Phenotypic plasticity allows a single genotype to express diverse phenotypes based on environmental cues.
• Environmental factors influence gene expression and function, leading to observable trait variations.
• Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) exhibits phenotypic plasticity, crucial for adapting to diverse growing conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the phenotypic plasticity of grapevine by analyzing berry transcriptome variations.
• To identify genes and pathways responsive to environmental changes across different vineyards and growth years.
• To characterize grapevine transcriptome plasticity within distinct agricultural systems.

Main Methods:

• Comparative transcriptome analysis of Vitis vinifera cv. Corvina berries across three growth years and eleven Italian vineyards.
• Integration of transcriptomic data with metabolomic analyses to confirm gene expression patterns.
• Bioinformatic analysis to identify differentially expressed genes, enriched functional categories, and plasticity patterns.

Main Results:

• Berry transcriptome primarily clustered by growth year, indicating strong temporal environmental influence.
• Transcripts related to secondary metabolism demonstrated high sensitivity to climatic variations.
• Environmentally sensitive genes constituted 5% of protein-coding genes, enriched in transcription factors, translation, transport, and secondary metabolism pathways.
• Extreme weather conditions intensified transcriptome reprogramming; some genes exhibited constitutive expression, lacking plasticity.

Conclusions:

• Identified candidate genes potentially responsible for grapevine phenotypic plasticity.
• Provided foundational insights into grapevine transcriptome plasticity across diverse agricultural settings.
• Highlighted the significant impact of year-specific environmental conditions on grapevine gene expression.