Deciphering the transcriptomic regulation of heat stress responses in Nothofagus pumilio

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Estravis Barcala, Maximiliano, Heer, Katrin, Marchelli, Paula, Ziegenhagen, Birgit, Arana, María Veronica, Bellora Pereyra, Nicolás
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Plos One 2021
• Subjects: Nothofagus; Nothofagus pumilio; Bosque Primario; Bosque Templado; Calentamiento Global; Primary Forests; Temperate Forests; Global Warming; Región Patagónica; Antarctic; Argentina; Heer; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/9730; https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246615; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246615

Global warming is predicted to exert negative impacts on plant growth due to the damaging effect of high temperatures on plant physiology. Revealing the genetic architecture underlying the heat stress response is therefore crucial for the development of conservation strategies, and for breeding heat-resistant plant genotypes. Here we investigated the transcriptional changes induced by heat in Nothofagus pumilio, an emblematic tree species of the sub-Antarctic forests of South America. Through the performance of RNA-seq of leaves of plants exposed to 20˚C (control) or 34˚C (heat shock), we generated the first transcriptomic resource for the species. We also studied the changes in protein-coding transcripts expression in response to heat. We found 5,214 contigs differentially expressed between temperatures. The heat treatment resulted in a down-regulation of genes related to photosynthesis and carbon metabolism, whereas secondary metabolism, protein re-folding and response to stress were up-regulated. Moreover, several transcription factor families like WRKY or ERF were promoted by heat, alongside spliceosome machinery and hormone signaling pathways. Through a comparative analysis of gene regulation in response to heat in Arabidopsis thaliana, Populus tomentosa and N. pumilio we provide evidence of the existence of shared molecular features of heat stress responses across angiosperms, and identify genes of potential biotechnological application. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche Fil: Estravis Barcala, Maximiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Tecnologías Nucleares para la Salud; Argentina Fil: Heer, Katrin. Philipps-Universitat Marburg; Alemania Fil: Marchelli, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina Fil: Marchelli, Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche; Argentina Fil: ...