Machine learning extracts marks of thiamine's role in cold acclimation in the transcriptome of Vitis vinifera

The escalating challenge of climate change has underscored the critical need to understand cold defense mechanisms in cultivated grapevine Vitis vinifera. Temperature variations can affect the growth and overall health of vine.

We used Self Organizing Maps machine learning method to analyze gene expression data from leaves of five Vitis vinifera cultivars each treated by four different temperature conditions. The algorithm generated sample-specific "portraits" of the normalized gene expression data, revealing distinct patterns related to the temperature conditions applied.

Our analysis unveiled a connection with vitamin B1 (thiamine) biosynthesis, suggesting a link between temperature regulation and thiamine metabolism, in agreement with thiamine related stress response established in Arabidopsis before. Furthermore, we found that epigenetic mechanisms play a crucial role in regulating the expression of stress-responsive genes at low temperatures in grapevines.

Application of Self Organizing Maps portrayal to vine transcriptomics identified modules of coregulated genes triggered under cold stress. Our machine learning approach provides a promising option for transcriptomics studies in plants.