Sávio Pinho dos Reis

Recent Molecular Advances on Downstream Plant Responses to Abiotic Stress

Abiotic stresses such as extremes of temperature and pH, high salinity and drought, comprise some of the major factors causing extensive losses to crop production worldwide. Understanding how plants respond and adapt at cellular and molecular levels to continuous environmental changes is a pre-requisite for the generation of resistant or tolerant plants to abiotic stresses. In this review we aimed to present the recent advances on mechanisms of downstream plant responses to abiotic stresses and the use of stress-related genes in the development of genetically engineered crops.

Genetic variability and efficiency of DNA microsatellite markers for paternity testing in horse breeds from the Brazilian Marajó archipelago

In this study, 15 microsatellite DNA loci used in comparative tests by the International Society for Animal Genetics were applied to the evaluation of genetic diversity and management, and the efficiency of paternity testing in Marajoara horses and Puruca ponies from the Marajo Archipelago. Based on the genotyping of 93 animals, mean allelic diversity was estimated as 9.14 and 7.00 for the Marajoara and Puruca breeds, respectively. While these values are similar to those recorded in most European breeds, mean levels of heterozygosity were much lower (Marajoara 49%, Puruca 40%), probably as a result of high levels of inbreeding in the Marajo populations. The mean informative polymorphic content of this 15-marker system was over 50% in both breeds, and was slightly higher in the Marajoara horses. The discriminative power and exclusion probabilities derived from this system were over 99% for both populations, emphasizing the efficacy of these markers for paternity testing and genetic management in the two breeds.

Phytocystatins and their Potential to Control Plant Diseases Caused by Fungi

Plant cystatins, also called phytocystatins, constitute a family of specific cysteine protease inhibitors found in several monocots and dicots, where they can be involved in the regulation of several endogenous processes and in defense against pests and pathogens, as well as in response to abiotic stress. In this mini-review we aimed to present isolated and characterized phytocystatins with potential use in control of plant disease caused by fungi.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel RING zinc-finger protein gene up-regulated under in vitro salt stress in cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is one of the world’s most important food crops. It is cultivated mainly in developing countries of tropics, since its root is a major source of calories for low-income people due to its high productivity and resistance to many abiotic and biotic factors. A previous study has identified a partial cDNA sequence coding for a putative RING zinc finger in cassava storage root. The RING zinc finger protein is a specialized type of zinc finger protein found in many organisms. Here, we isolated the full-length cDNA sequence coding for M. esculenta RZF (MeRZF) protein by a combination of 5′ and 3′ RACE assays. BLAST analysis showed that its deduced amino acid sequence has a high level of similarity to plant proteins of RZF family. MeRZF protein contains a signature sequence motif for a RING zinc finger at its C-terminal region. In addition, this protein showed a histidine residue at the fifth coordination site, likely belonging to the RING-H2 subgroup, as confirmed by our phylogenetic analysis. There is also a transmembrane domain in its N-terminal region. Finally, semi-quantitative RT-PCR assays showed that MeRZF expression is increased in detached leaves treated with sodium chloride. Here, we report the first evidence of a RING zinc finger gene of cassava showing potential role in response to salt stress.

An Overview of Protein Identification Studies in Cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is originated from the Southern Amazon basin. The storage root is the most important product of cassava as food for more than 800 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In this review, we present a retrospective of studies aiming the identification of cassava proteins, starting from the first investigations using SDS-PAGE and classical two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) to recent studies with advanced technologies such as high-resolution 2DE, mass spectrometry, and iTRAQ-based analysis that have contributed for characterization of cassava proteome. Several cassava proteins have been identified, including those involved in the storage root formation and post-harvest physiological deterioration processes.

Plant Molecular Adaptations and Strategies Under Drought Stress

Climate change is a major global concern that can make agriculture even more risk prone, especially in the developing world. The water deficit of soil causes environmental problems, limiting plant survival, growth, and productivity. However, some plants can use certain strategies to resist drought stresses. Adaptations to drought involve metabolic and morphological alterations to prevent injury to plants. Underlying these several kinds of alterations are molecular mechanisms that regulate the expression of genes involved in the various adaptive processes. Drought tolerance has been achieved using genetic engineering strategies to improve water-use efficiency of plants, cell protection mechanisms against ROS, and hormonal balance to alter the growth and development in order to avoid drought and change the expression of drought-induced transcription factors that act as master switches in regulating a large number of downstream drought-response genes. Various genes are induced in response to drought at the transcriptional level, and these gene products have main roles in tolerance to drought. Understanding the molecular mechanisms in drought response is important for improvement of drought tolerance using molecular techniques. Some of the genes that will probably upregulated under drought stress conditions include the genes involved in osmolyte synthesis, genes coding for LEA proteins, aquaporins, signaling molecules, and transcription factors. Studies of contrasting crop genotypes or genetic engineering of crops help in differentiating responses to drought from those leading to drought tolerance. The specific importance to crop plants is not whether they survive stress, but whether they show significant yields under stress conditions.