Abstract
Expression of blueberry cold-regulated genes (VcCORs) could play a role in the variable cold hardiness of blueberry tissues. In this study, transcriptome comparisons were conducted to reveal expression of VcCORs in non-acclimated leaves, flower buds, and flowers of both non-transgenic and transgenic blueberries containing an overexpressed blueberry DWARF AND DELAYED FLOWERING gene (VcDDF1) as well as in fully chilled flower buds of non-transgenic blueberry. In non-transgenic blueberries, 57.5% of VcCOR genes showed differential expression in at least one of the three pairwise comparisons between non-acclimated leaves, flower buds, and flowers, and six out of nine dehydration-responsive element-binding factors showed differential expression. In addition, expression of VcDDF1 was not cold-inducible in non-transgenic blueberries and had higher expression in flowers than in leaves or non-acclimated flower buds. In transgenic blueberries, overexpression of VcDDF1 resulted in higher VcDDF1 expression in leaves than in flower buds and flowers. VcDDF1 overexpression enhanced expression of blueberry CBF1 and CBF3 in leaves and repressed expression of CBF3 in both flower buds and flowers. Overall, the results revealed tissue-specific expression patterns of VcCORs. The responses of VcCORs to overexpression of VcDDF1 suggest that it is possible to increase plant cold hardiness through overexpression of a non-cold-inducible gene.
Highlights
IntroductionDeciduous fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, stone fruits (e.g., peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries), and berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, and kiwifruits), are of importance for human health due to their unique nutritional and medicinal values, being packed with fiber, sugars, minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants
Deciduous fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, stone fruits, and berries, are of importance for human health due to their unique nutritional and medicinal values, being packed with fiber, sugars, minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants
The profiles of the identified differentially expressed (DE) VcCORs in 11 comparisons are anticipated to be useful for further investigation on gene networks for cold hardiness in blueberries
Summary
Deciduous fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, stone fruits (e.g., peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries), and berries (e.g., blueberries, cranberries, pomegranate, and kiwifruits), are of importance for human health due to their unique nutritional and medicinal values, being packed with fiber, sugars, minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants. These deciduous fruit crops show a great diversity in their tolerance to extreme low/high temperatures [1,2,3]. The profiles of the identified differentially expressed (DE) VcCORs in 11 comparisons are anticipated to be useful for further investigation on gene networks for cold hardiness in blueberries
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