Biology subjects

Zouine, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Zouine, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Various tomato cultivars display contrasted morphological and molecular responses to a heat wave.

Climate change is one of the biggest threats that human society currently needs to face. Heat waves associated with global warming negatively affect plant growth and development and will increase in frequency. Tomato is one of the most produced and consumed fruit in the world but remarkable yield losses occur every year due to the sensitivity of many cultivars to heat stress. New insights into how tomato plants are responding to heat waves will contribute to the development of new cultivars with high yields under harsh temperature conditions. In this study, the analysis of microsporogenesis and pollen germination rate of eleven tomato cultivars after exposure to a simulated heat wave revealed differences between genotypes. The transcriptome of floral buds at two developmental stages of five cultivars selected based on their pollen germination tolerance or sensitivity, revealed common and specific molecular responses implemented by tomato cultivars to cope with heat waves. These data provide valuable insights into the underlying molecular adaptation of floral buds to heat stress and will contribute to the development of future climate resilient tomato varieties.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2022

miR167-ARF8, an auxin-responsive module involved in the formation of root-knot nematode-induced galls in tomato

O_LIRoot-knot nematodes (RKN) from genus Meloidogyne induce the dedifferentiation of root vascular cells into giant multinucleate feeding cells. These feeding cells result from an extensive reprogramming of gene expression in targeted root cells, as shown by transcriptomic analyses of galls or giant cells from various plant species. C_LIO_LISmall non-coding RNAs, and messenger RNAs from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) galls and uninfected roots were sequenced. De novo microRNA prediction in the tomato genome identified microRNAs expressed in galls and uninfected roots. Statistical analyses identified 174 miRNA genes differentially expressed in galls at 7 and/or 14 days post infection (dpi). C_LIO_LIIntegrative analyses combining small non-coding RNA and transcriptome datasets with the specific sequencing of cleaved transcripts identified miRNA targets in tomato galls. Functional analyses of promoter-GUS fusions and CRISPR-Cas9 mutants highlighted the role of the miR167-regulated transcription factor AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 8 (ARF8) in giant cell formation. C_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Cultivar-specific transcriptome and pan-transcriptome reconstruction of tetraploid potato

Although the reference genome of Solanum tuberosum Group Phureja double-monoploid (DM) clone is available, knowledge on the genetic diversity of the highly heterozygous tetraploid Group Tuberosum, representing most cultivated varieties, remains largely unexplored. This lack of knowledge hinders further progress in potato research. In conducted investigation, we first merged and manually curated the two existing partially-overlapping DM genome-based gene models, creating a union of genes in Phureja scaffold. Next, we compiled available and newly generated RNA-Seq datasets (cca. 1.5 billion reads) for three tetraploid potato genotypes (cultivar Desiree, cultivar Rywal, and breeding clone PW363) with diverse breeding pedigrees. Short-read transcriptomes were assembled using several de novo assemblers under different settings to test for optimal outcome. For cultivar Rywal, PacBio Iso-Seq full-length transcriptome sequencing was also performed. EvidentialGene redundancy-reducing pipeline complemented with in-house developed scripts was employed to produce accurate and complete cultivar-specific transcriptomes, as well as to attain the pan-transcriptome. The generated transcriptomes and pan-transcriptome represent a valuable resource for potato gene variability exploration, high-throughput omics analyses, and breeding programmes.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Loss of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 4 function alters plant growth, stomatal functions and improves tomato tolerance to salinity and water deficit

Auxin controls multiple aspects of plant growth and development. However, its role in stress responses remains poorly understood. Auxin acts on the transcriptional regulation of target genes, mainly through Auxin Response Factors (ARF). This study focuses on the involvement of SlARF4 in tomato tolerance to salinity and osmotic stress. Using a reverse genetic approach, we found that the antisense down-regulation of SlARF4 promotes root development and density, increases soluble sugars content and maintains chlorophyll content at high levels under stress conditions. Furthermore, ARF4-as displayed higher tolerance to salt and osmotic stress through reduced stomatal conductance coupled with increased leaf relative water content and ABA content under normal and stressful conditions. This increase in ABA content was correlated with the activation of ABA biosynthesis genes and the repression of ABA catabolism genes. cat1, Cu/ZnSOD and mdhar genes were up-regulated in ARF4-as plants which can result in a better tolerance to salt and osmotic stress. A CRISPR/Cas9 induced SlARF4 mutant showed similar growth and stomatal responses as ARF4-as plants, which suggest that arf4-cr can tolerate salt and osmotic stresses. Our data support the involvement of ARF4 as a key factor in tomato tolerance to salt and osmotic stresses and confirm the use of CRISPR technology as an efficient tool for functional reverse genetics studies.

plant biology↗