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The identification of almond GIGANTEA gene and its expression under cold stress, variable photoperiod, and seasonal dormancy

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Seasonal growth is characteristic for many tree species including almond. Varying conditions during the season are responsible for growth cessation, bud set, dormancy entry, cold hardening, and bud burst. Here, we report the characterization of an almond homologue of the Arabidopsis GIGANTEA (AtGI) gene (designated as PdGI, GenBank accession No. KJ502316). We propose a role for this gene in the transition to dormancy and cold acclimation. The complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of PdGI was 4 322 bp long and contained an open reading frame of 3 512 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of PdGI shared 76 % identity with AtGI. The expression of PdGI at ambient day/night temperatures of 22/20 ºC was differentially regulated under a 16-h or 12-h photoperiod, increasing during the day and decreasing after dusk. However, this diurnal regulation was disrupted when plants were transferred to cold (12 ºC) conditions. In addition, we have assessed the expression of PdGI and putative almond homologues of the downstream target genes CONSTANS (PdCO-like) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (PdFT-like) in flower buds and shoots from adult trees during the bud break period in autumn and early winter. Our results show a clear increase in transcript abundance towards anthesis, suggesting a role of these genes in flower development.

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Abbreviations

AtGI:

Arabidopsis GIGANTEA

CO :

CONSTANS

CRs:

chilling requirements

FT :

FLOWERING LOCUS T

PdGI :

Prunus dulcis GIGANTEA

RT-PCR:

reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2780-157, Oeiras, Portugal

    P. M. Barros, S. Cherian, M. Costa, H. Sapeta, N. J. M. Saibo & M. M. Oliveira

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  1. P. M. Barros
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  2. S. Cherian
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  3. M. Costa
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  4. H. Sapeta
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  5. N. J. M. Saibo
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  6. M. M. Oliveira
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Correspondence to M. M. Oliveira.

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Acknowledgments: This work was financially supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the postdoctoral fellowships SFRH/BPD/86742/2012 and SFRH/BPD/26837/2006, and the research Unit GREEN-it “Bioresources for sustainability” (UID/Multi/04551/2013). Prof. M.O. Krause is also gratefully acknowledged for the English and critical revisions. The first two authors have contributed equally to this work.

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Barros, P.M., Cherian, S., Costa, M. et al. The identification of almond GIGANTEA gene and its expression under cold stress, variable photoperiod, and seasonal dormancy. Biol Plant 61, 631–640 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-017-0711-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-017-0711-1

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