Carrera Bergua, Esther
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- PublicationABA Biosynthesis- and Signaling-Related Gene Expression Differences between Sweet Cherry Fruits Suggest Attenuation of ABA Pathway in Bicolored Cultivars(MDPI, 2023-07) Acevedo, Orlando; Ponce, Claudio; Arellano, Macarena; Multari, Salvatore; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Donoso, José Manuel; Martens, Stefan; Kuhn, Nathalie; Meisel, Lee A.; Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo de Chile; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Chile[EN] Fruit development involves exocarp color evolution. However, signals that control this process are still elusive. Differences between dark-red and bicolored sweet cherry cultivars rely on MYB factor gene mutations. Color evolution in bicolored fruits only occurs on the face receiving sunlight, suggesting the perception or response to color-inducing signals is affected. These color differences may be related to synthesis, perception or response to abscisic acid (ABA), a phytohormone responsible for non-climacteric fruit coloring. This work aimed to determine the involvement of ABA in the coloring process of color-contrasting varieties. Several phenolic accumulation patterns differed between bicolored 'Royal Rainier' and dark-red 'Lapins'. Transcript abundance of ABA biosynthetic genes (PavPSY, PavZEP and PavNCED1) decreased dramatically from the Pink to Red stage in 'Royal Rainier' but increased in 'Lapins', which correlated with a higher ABA content in this dark-red cultivar. Transcripts coding for ABA signaling (PavPP2Cs, PavSnRKs and PavMYB44.1) were almost undetectable at the Red stage in 'Royal Rainier'. Field trials revealed that 'Royal Rainier' color development was insensitive to exogenous ABA, whereas it increased in 'Lapins'. Furthermore, ABA treatment only increased transcript levels of signaling genes in 'Lapins'. Further studies may address if the ABA pathway is attenuated in bicolor cultivars.
- PublicationThe characterization of transgenic tomato overexpressing gibberellin 20-oxidase reveals induction of parthenocarpic fruit growth, higher yield, and alteration of the gibberellin biosynthetic pathway(Oxford University Press (OUP), 2012-10) García Hurtado, Noemi; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Ruiz Rivero, Omar José; López Gresa, María Pilar; Hedden, Peter; Gong, Fan; Garcia Martinez, Jose L; Instituto Universitario Mixto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas; Departamento de Biotecnología; Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y del Medio Natural[EN] Fruit-set and growth in tomato depend on the action of gibberellins (GAs). To evaluate the role of the GA biosynthetic enzyme GA 20-oxidase (GA20ox) in that process, the citrus gene CcGA20ox1 was overexpressed in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv Micro-Tom. The transformed plants were taller, had non-serrated leaves, and some flowers displayed a protruding stigma due to a longer style, thus preventing self-pollination, similar to GA(3)-treated plants. Flowering was delayed compared with wild-type (WT) plants. Both yield and number of fruits per plant, some of them seedless, were higher in the transgenic plants. The Brix index value of fruit juice was also higher due to elevated citric acid content, but not glucose or fructose content. When emasculated, 1430% of ovaries from transgenic flowers developed parthenocarpically, whereas no parthenocarpy was found in emasculated WT flowers. The presence of early-13-hydroxylation and non-13-hydroxylation GA pathways was demonstrated in the shoot and fruit of Micro-Tom, as well as in two tall tomato cultivars (Ailsa Craig and UC-82). The transgenic plants had altered GA profiles containing higher concentrations of GA(4), from the non-13-hydroxylation pathway, which is generally a minor active GA in tomato. The effect of GA(4) application in enhancing stem growth and parthenocarpic fruit development was proportional to dose, with the same activity as GA(1). The results support the contention that GA20ox overexpression diverts GA metabolism from the early-13-hydroxylation pathway to the non-13-hydroxylation pathway. This led to enhanced GA(4) synthesis and higher yield, although the increase in GA(4) content in the ovary was not sufficient to induce full parthenocarpy.
- PublicationMetabolite profiling and hormone analysis of the synchronized exocarp-mesocarp development during ripening of cv. 'Fuerte' and 'Hass' avocado fruits(Elsevier, 2024-08) Olmedo, Patricio; Núñez-Lillo, Gerardo; Ponce, Excequel; Alvaro, Juan E.; Baños, Jorge; Carrera Bergua, Esther; González-Fernández, Jose Jorge; Hormaza, Jose Ignacio; Campos, David; Chirinos, Rosana; Campos-Vargas, Reinaldo; Defilippi, Bruno Giorgio; Aguayo, Encarna; Pedreschi, Romina; Agencia Estatal de Investigación; European Regional Development Fund; Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo de Chile; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Chile; Fundación Séneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia[EN] Color development in avocado fruits is a complex mechanism influenced by several factors. To understand this process, a comparative analysis was conducted between fruits of 'Fuerte' and 'Hass' avocado cultivars using metabolomic approaches. Pigment content in the exocarp differs between cultivars, accumulating anthocyanins in 'Hass' avocado. Carbohydrate abundance differed at ready -to -eat stage showing that 'Hass' accumulated higher amounts of sucrose, mannoheptulose, and perseitol than 'Fuerte' in both tissues. Higher amounts of fatty acids were observed in both tissues of 'Fuerte'. Polar metabolites indicated differences in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolisms between cultivars. Hormone analysis suggested that abscisic acid is involved in pigment biosynthesis. These findings showed that hormone and primary metabolites cross -talk plays an important role in color development in the exocarp and in the softening in the mesocarp of 'Hass', opening new perspectives about this metabolic interplay and its relation to the development of the exocarp-mesocarp synchronization during ripening.
- PublicationA point mutation in the kinase domain of CRK10 leads to xylem vessel collapse and activation of defence responses in Arabidopsis(Oxford University Press, 2023-05-19) Piovesana, Maiara; Wood, Ana K. M.; Smith, Daniel P.; Deery, Michael J.; Bayliss, Richard; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Wellner, N; Kosik, Ondrej; Napier, Johnathan A.; Kurup, Smita; Matthes, Michaela C.; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK Government; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Reino Unido[EN] Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) are a large family of plasma membrane-bound receptors ubiquitous in higher plants. However, despite their prominence, their biological roles have remained largely elusive so far. In this study we report the characterization of an Arabidopsis mutant named crk10-A397T in which alanine 397 has been replaced by a threonine in the aC helix of the kinase domain of CRK10, known to be a crucial regulatory module in mammalian kinases. The crk10-A397T mutant is a dwarf that displays collapsed xylem vessels in the root and hypocotyl, whereas the vasculature of the inflorescence develops normally. In situ phosphorylation assays with His-tagged wild type and crk10-A397T versions of the CRK10 kinase domain revealed that both alleles are active kinases capable of autophosphorylation, with the newly introduced threonine acting as an additional phosphorylation site in crk10-A397T. Transcriptomic analysis of wild type and crk10-A397T mutant hypocotyls revealed that biotic and abiotic stress-responsive genes are constitutively up-regulated in the mutant, and a root-infection assay with the vascular pathogen Fusarium oxysporum demonstrated that the mutant has enhanced resistance to this pathogen compared with wild type plants. Taken together our results suggest that crk10-A397T is a gain-of-function allele of CRK10, the first such mutant to have been identified for a CRK in Arabidopsis.
- PublicationRegulation of ovule initiation by gibberellins and brassinosteroids in tomato and Arabidopsis: two plant species, two molecular mechanisms(Wiley, 2020-06) Barro-Trastoy, Daniela; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Baños, Jorge; Palau-Rodríguez, Julia; Ruiz-Rivero, Omar; Tornero Feliciano, Pablo; Alonso, Jose M.; LOPEZ DIAZ, ISABEL; Gómez Jiménez, Maria Dolores; Perez Amador, Miguel Angel; Instituto Universitario Mixto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas; National Science Foundation, EEUU; European Regional Development Fund; Agencia Estatal de Investigación[EN] Ovule primordia formation is a complex developmental process with a strong impact on the production of seeds. In Arabidopsis this process is controlled by a gene network, including components of the signalling pathways of auxin, brassinosteroids (BRs) and cytokinins. Recently, we have shown that gibberellins (GAs) also play an important role in ovule primordia initiation, inhibiting ovule formation in both Arabidopsis and tomato. Here we reveal that BRs also participate in the control of ovule initiation in tomato, by promoting an increase on ovule primordia formation. Moreover, molecular and genetic analyses of the co-regulation by GAs and BRs of the control of ovule initiation indicate that two different mechanisms occur in tomato and Arabidopsis. In tomato, GAs act downstream of BRs. BRs regulate ovule number through the downregulation of GA biosynthesis, which provokes stabilization of DELLA proteins that will finally promote ovule primordia initiation. In contrast, in Arabidopsis both GAs and BRs regulate ovule number independently of the activity levels of the other hormone. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that different molecular mechanisms could operate in different plant species to regulate identical developmental processes even, as for ovule primordia initiation, if the same set of hormones trigger similar responses, adding a new level of complexity.
- PublicationAmmonium Toxicity Alleviation by Silicon is Dependent on Cytokinins in Tomato cv. Micro-Tom(Springer-Verlag, 2022-01) Ferreira Barreto, Rafael; de Mello Prado, Renato; Barbosa Lucio, Jose Clebson; LOPEZ DIAZ, ISABEL; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Falleiros Carvalho, Rogerio; Coordenaçao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil[EN] The objectives were to verify the effects of the lack of cytokinins (CKs), comparing tomato cv. Micro-Tom (MT, wild type) to MT CKX2 (transgenic with less CKs) fed with nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+), in the presence and absence of silicon (Si); verify if the attenuation of NH4+ toxicity by Si depends on the increase of CKs in MT; and verify if 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) attenuates NH4+ toxicity in MT. Three experiments were performed with treatments via nutrient solution. First, MT and MT CKX2 were grown with NO3- or NH4+ (5.9 mmol L- 1), in the absence and presence of Si (1.28 mmol L- 1). Second, MT was grown with NO3- or NH4+ (5.9 mmol L- 1), in the absence and presence of Si (1.28 mmol L- 1). Third, MT was grown with NO3- or NH4+ (5.9 mmol L- 1) and 6-BA (from 1e(-10) to 1e(-6) mol L-1) associated with NH4+. The MT and MT CKX2 had a decrease of 18% and 48% in the shoot dry weight, respectively, when fed with NH4+, compared to NO3-. Si attenuated NH4+ toxicity in MT, but not in MT CKX2. This attenuation in MT was accompanied by a decrease in trans-zeatin (tZ) content in the roots and increase in the shoots. 6-BA did not improve the shoot growth of MT fed with NH4+. In conclusion, the alleviation of NH4+ toxicity by Si was dependent on the increase in tZ content in shoots. In CK-deficient plants, Si did not alleviate NH4+ toxicity, and 6-BA did not alleviate NH4+ toxicity in MT shoots.
- PublicationDeciphering the behind blackspot exocarp disorder in avocado cv. Hass through a hormonal, transcriptional and metabolic integration approach(Elsevier, 2024-12) Núñez-Lillo, Gerardo; Hernández, Ignacia; Olmedo, Patricio; Ponce, Excequel; Arancibia-Guerra, Camila; Sepulveda, Laura; Alegría Carrasco-Pancorbo; Beiro-Valenzuela, Maria Gemma; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Baños, Jorge; Campos, David; Meneses, Claudio; Pedreschi, Romina; Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo de Chile; Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Chile[EN] Avocado cv. Hass is an important sub-tropical crop with an increasing global demand. However, the avocado supply chain experiences significant fruit losses, particularly during the postharvest stage due to diseases and disorders that manifest after prolonged cold storage or the ready-to-eat stage. The blackspot exocarp disorder, which appears as brown or black blotches only after extended cold storage conditions, leads to substantial commercial losses for exported avocados. This research aimed to identify transcriptomic, metabolomic, and hormonal changes in avocado fruits affected by blackspot disorder, differentiating between the green and black exocarp tissues directly impacted by this physiological disorder. The results showed a correlation between the black-colored exocarp of blackspot affected fruits with high levels of gibberellins, cytokinins, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid hormones. Metabolically, these changes were accompanied by a high fatty acid content of oleate, palmitate and linoleate. Using a metabolic pathway reconstruction analysis, we integrated hormonal and metabolic data with transcriptomic information. This approach identified several genes involved in central carbon metabolism, long-chain fatty acid elongation, and jasmonate/salicylate biosynthesis pathways, as well as a possible accumulation of lignins due to a high expression of genes associated with the phenylpropanoid pathway in the black exocarp of blackspot-affected fruits. These findings suggest that blackspot disorder results from a combination of plant defense mechanisms triggered to strengthen the fruit exocarp tissue.
- PublicationEucalyptus urograndis physiological and hormonal changes under drought conditions in response to trinexapac-ethyl(Elsevier, 2024-03) Lopes Bacha, Allan; da Silva Santos, Renata Thaysa; Flores Braga, Andreisa; de Souza Rodrigues, Juliana; Carrega, Willians Cesar; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Grey, Timothy Lane; Aguiar Alves, Pedro Luis da Costa; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo[EN] Previous studies have reported that trinexapac-ethyl (TE) stimulates growth of well-watered (WW) eucalypt plants. However, the physiological and hormonal changes in response to this chemical remain unclear. Furthermore, there are reports that this chemical attenuates drought responses in grasses. This research investigated the hormonal and physiological response of Eucalyptus urograndis (Clone 1407) plants treated with TE, cultivated under WW and drought conditions. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse up to 42 days after application of 0, 90 and 150 g ha-1 of TE. Eucalypt growth, hormone concentration, gas exchange, maximum quantum yield of photosystem II and total relative chlorophyll content were evaluated. TE increased growth of WW plants by up to 65%. Drought restricted the stimulatory effects of TE on eucalypt growth, despite an increase of at least 102% in gibberellin A4 (GA4), trans-zeatin (tZ) and N6-isopentenyladenine (iP) concentrations after application. GA4 stood out as an indicator of drought stress as it increased almost 6-fold compared to WW eucalypt. TE caused a hormonal imbalance in eucalypt up to 42 days after application, increasing GA1 concentration as a short-term effect (8 days) and GA8 as a medium-term effect (42 days). Gibberellin homeostasis was not reestablished until 42 days after TE treatment. These results provide insights into eucalypt hormonal response to TE. Future research should be conducted under field conditions to understand how long such positive effects would be detected over time in short-rotation eucalypt plantations.
- PublicationCharacterization of the procera Tomato Mutant Shows Novel Functions of the SlDELLA Protein in the Control of Flower Morphology, Cell Division and Expansion, and the Auxin-Signaling Pathway during Fruit-Set and Development(American Society of Plant Biologists, 2012-11) Carrera Bergua, Esther; Ruiz Rivero, Omar José; PERES, LÁZARO EUSTAQUIO; Atarés Huerta, Alejandro; Garcia Martinez, Jose L; Instituto Universitario Mixto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas; Departamento de Biotecnología; Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y del Medio Natural; Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónProcera (pro) is a tall tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutant carrying a point mutation in the GRAS region of the gene encoding SlDELLA, a repressor in the gibberellin (GA) signaling pathway. Consistent with the SlDELLA loss of function, pro plants display a GA-constitutive response phenotype, mimicking wild-type plants treated with GA(3). The ovaries from both nonemasculated and emasculated pro flowers had very strong parthenocarpic capacity, associated with enhanced growth of preanthesis ovaries due to more and larger cells. pro parthenocarpy is facultative because seeded fruits were obtained by manual pollination. Most pro pistils had exserted stigmas, thus preventing self-pollination, similar to wild-type pistils treated with GA(3) or auxins. However, Style2.1, a gene responsible for long styles in noncultivated tomato, may not control the enhanced style elongation of pro pistils, because its expression was not higher in pro styles and did not increase upon GA(3) application. Interestingly, a high percentage of pro flowers had meristic alterations, with one additional petal, sepal, stamen, and carpel at each of the four whorls, respectively, thus unveiling a role of SlDELLA in flower organ development. Microarray analysis showed significant changes in the transcriptome of preanthesis pro ovaries compared with the wild type, indicating that the molecular mechanism underlying the parthenocarpic capacity of pro is complex and that it is mainly associated with changes in the expression of genes involved in GA and auxin pathways. Interestingly, it was found that GA activity modulates the expression of cell division and expansion genes and an auxin signaling gene (tomato AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR7) during fruit-set
- PublicationTomato floral induction and flower development are orchestrated by the interplay between gibberellin and two unrelated microRNA-controlled modules(Blackwell Publishing, 2018-09) Silva, G.; Silva, E.; Correa, J.; Vicente, M.; Jiang, N.; Notini, M.; Junior, A.; De Jesus, F.; Castilho, P.; Carrera Bergua, Esther; Lopez Diaz, Isabel; Grotewold, E.; Peres, L.; Nogueira, F.; Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo[EN] Age-regulated microRNA156 (miR156) and targets similarly control the competence to flower in diverse species. By contrast, the diterpene hormone gibberellin (GA) and the microRNA319-regulated TEOSINTE BRANCHED/CYCLOIDEA/PCF (TCP) transcription factors promote flowering in the facultative long-day Arabidopsis thaliana, but suppress it in the day-neutral tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). We combined genetic and molecular studies and described a new interplay between GA and two unrelated miRNA-associated pathways that modulates tomato transition to flowering. Tomato PROCERA/DELLA activity is required to promote flowering along with the miR156-targeted SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE (SPL/SBP) transcription factors by activating SINGLE FLOWER TRUSS (SFT) in the leaves and the MADS-Boxgene APETALA1(AP1)/MC at the shoot apex. Conversely, miR319-targeted LANCEOLATE represses floral transition by increasing GA concentrations and inactivating SFT in the leaves and AP1/MC at the shoot apex. Importantly, the combination of high GA concentrations/responses with the loss of SPL/SPB function impaired canonical meristem maturation and flower initiation in tomato. Our results reveal a cooperative regulation of tomato floral induction and flower development, integrating age cues (miR156 module) with GA responses and miR319-controlled pathways. Importantly, this study contributes to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of GA in controlling flowering time in a day-neutral species.