Project description:Salt stress, especially saline-alkali stress, has seriously negative effect on citrus production. Ziyang xiangcheng (Citrus junos Sieb.) (Cj) has been reported as a saline-alkali stress and iron deficiency tolerant citrus rootstock. However, the molecular mechanism of its saline-alkali stress tolerance is still not clear. Two citrus rootstocks and one navel orange scion, Cj, Poncirus trifoliate (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) (Pt) and ‘Lane Late’ navel orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.) (LL), were used in this study. The grafted materials Cj+LL and Pt+LL grown in calcareous soil were used to identify genes and pathways responsive to saline-alkali stress using RNA-seq. The seedlings of Cj and Pt grown in the solutions with different gradient pH value were used to perform a supplement experiment. Comprehensively analyzing the data of RNA-seq, physiology and biochemistry, agronomic traits and mineral elements of Cj+LL, Pt+LL, Cj and Pt, several candidate pathways and genes were identified to be highly regulated under saline-alkali stress. Here, we propose citrate is important for the tolerance to iron deficiency and the jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis and signal transduction pathway may play a crucial role in tolerance to saline-alkali stress in citrus by interacting with other plant hormones, calcium signaling, ROS scavenging system and lignin biosynthesis.
Project description:Fruit ripening in Citrus is not well understood at the molecular level. Knowledge of the regulatory mechanism of citrus fruit ripening at the post-transcriptional level in particular is lacking. Here, we comparatively analyzed the miRNAs and their targeted genes in a spontaneous late-ripening mutant, ?Fengwan? sweet orange (MT) (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck), and its wild-type counterpart ('Fengjie 72-1', WT). Using high-throughput sequencing of small RNAs and RNA degradome tags, we identified 107 known and 21 novel miRNAs, as well as 225 target genes. A total of 24 miRNAs (16 known miRNAs and 8 novel miRNAs) were shown to be differentially expressed between MT and WT. The expression pattern of several key miRNAs and their target genes during citrus fruit development and ripening stages was examined. Csi-miR156k, csi-miR159 and csi-miR166d suppressed specific transcription factors (GAMYBs, SPLs and ATHBs) that are supposed to be important regulators involved in citrus fruit development and ripening. In the present study, miRNA-mediated silencing of target genes was found under complicated and sensitive regulation in citrus fruit. The identification of miRNAs and their target genes provide new clues for future investigation of mechanisms that regulate citrus fruit ripening.
Project description:Pathogens can trigger a broad array of changes in gene expression in plants. In this study we report the changes in gene expression patterns that occurred when greenhouse grown Washington Navel oranges (C. sinensis) was graft innoculated with citrus pathogens. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, Spiroplasma citri, and two isolates of citrus tristeza virus were studied.