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Winter induction of the galactinol synthase gene is associated with endodormancy in chestnut trees

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Abstract

From the start of autumn and throughout winter dormancy, starch stored in the stems and buds of woody plants is broken down into oligosaccharides, mainly raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs). Given that RFO synthesis protects plants against winter cold, the enzyme galactinol synthase (catalyzing the first step in RFO synthesis) could play an important role in this process. Here, we characterized a galactinol synthase gene (CsGolS1) in chestnut and examined its expression in relation to tree dormancy. In chestnut branches, CsGolS1 mRNA levels paralleled the induction and course of winter dormancy, starting to rise at the beginning of autumn and elevated levels persisting until the onset of spring. In addition, exposure of chestnut plantlets to 4 °C induced the expression of the CsGolS1 gene in the stems. However, the permanent induction of stem CsGolS1 during winter months, rather than being a direct response to the cold, was found to be associated with the endodormancy state. This observation points to transcriptional mechanisms controlling the maintenance of endodormancy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr. Alicia Moreno-Cortés, Paloma Acebo and Tamara Hernández-Verdeja for valuable advices and help. We thank M. Ayllon and M.M. Salmean for allowing us to collect field samples in their estate. This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, grants AGL2008-00168, AGL2011-22625 and PIM2010PKB-00702; C.I. was a fellow of the Chilean Government-BID.

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  1. Cristian Ibáñez

    Present address: Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, Campus Andrés Bello, Avenida Raúl Bitrán S/N, (051), 204309, La Serena, Chile

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biotecnología, Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP, UPM-INIA), E. T. S. I. de Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain

    Cristian Ibáñez, Carmen Collada, Rosa Casado, Cipriano Aragoncillo & Isabel Allona

  2. E. T. S. I Agrónomos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain

    Pablo González-Melendi

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  1. Cristian Ibáñez
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Correspondence to Isabel Allona.

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Communicated by F. Canovas.

Electronic supplementary material

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Online Resource1. Phylogram of galactinol synthase enzymes from plant species including chestnut GolS1. (DOCX 121 kb)

468_2013_879_MOESM2_ESM.docx

Online Resource 2. Structure of the CsGolS1gene. Boxed areas represent exons and lines indicate introns; numbers correspond to their bp lengths. (CsGolS1 genomic clone accession number: JX512438). (DOCX 609 kb)

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Ibáñez, C., Collada, C., Casado, R. et al. Winter induction of the galactinol synthase gene is associated with endodormancy in chestnut trees. Trees 27, 1309–1316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0879-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0879-8

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