Elucidating Drought Stress Tolerance in European Oaks Through Cross-Species Transcriptomics

Elucidating Drought Stress Tolerance in European Oaks Through Cross-Species Transcriptomics

Abstract

The impact of climate change that comes with a dramatic increase of long periods of extreme summer drought associated with heat is a fundamental challenge for European forests. As a result, forests are expected to shift their distribution patterns toward north-east, which may lead to a dramatic loss in value of European forest land. Consequently, unraveling key processes that underlie drought stress tolerance is not only of great scientific but also of utmost economic importance for forests to withstand future heat and drought wave scenarios. To reveal drought stress-related molecular patterns we applied cross-species comparative transcriptomics of three major European oak species: the less tolerant deciduous pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), the deciduous but quite tolerant pubescent oak (Q. pubescens), and the very tolerant evergreen holm oak (Q. ilex). We found 415, 79, and 222 differentially expressed genes during drought stress in Q. robur, Q. pubescens, and Q. ilex, respectively, indicating species-specific response mechanisms. Further, by comparative orthologous gene family analysis, 517 orthologous genes could be characterized that may play an important role in drought stress adaptation on the genus level. New regulatory candidate pathways and genes in the context of drought stress response were identified, highlighting the importance of the antioxidant capacity, the mitochondrial respiration machinery, the lignification of the water transport system, and the suppression of drought-induced senescence – providing a valuable knowledge base that could be integrated in breeding programs in the face of climate change.

Grafik Top
Authors
  • Madritsch, Silvia
  • Wischnitzki, Elisabeth
  • Kotrade, Peter
  • Ashoub, Ahmed
  • Burg, Agnes
  • Fluch, Silvia
  • Brüggemann, Wolfgang
  • Sehr, Eva M.
Grafik Top
Shortfacts
Category
Journal Paper
Divisions
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Journal or Publication Title
G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
ISSN
2160-1836
Publisher
Genetics Society of America (United States)
Page Range
pp. 3181-3199
Number
10
Volume
9
Date
1 October 2019
Export
Grafik Top