Molecular characterization and expression analysis of the Rop GTPase family in Vitis vinifera

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany 2007-01, Vol.58 (10), p.2641-2652
• Main Authors: Abbal, Philippe, Pradal, Martine, Sauvage, François-Xavier, Chatelet, Philippe, Paillard, Sophie, Canaguier, Aurélie, Adam-Blondon, Anne-Françoise, Tesniere, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Berries; Biological and medical sciences; Botanics; Chromosome Mapping; Cloning, Molecular; Complementary DNA; Developmental biology; Enzymes; EST database; Expressed Sequence Tags; Fruit - enzymology; Fruit - genetics; Fruit - growth & development; fruit ripening; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genetic Linkage; genome mapping; Genome, Plant; Genomes; grapevine phylogeny; GTP Phosphohydrolases - genetics; GTP Phosphohydrolases - metabolism; GTP Phosphohydrolases - physiology; Life Sciences; Linkage groups; Metabolism; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Plant Growth Regulators - pharmacology; Plant physiology; Plant physiology and development; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Proteins - physiology; Plants; Proteins; quantitative RT-PCR; Research Papers; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Ripening; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Rop/Rac GTPase; Sequence Alignment; transcript level; Vegetal Biology; Vitaceae; Vitis - enzymology; Vitis - genetics; Vitis - growth & development; Vitis vinifera
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erm113

Rop/Rac GTPases are plant-specific signalling proteins with multiple roles, some of which have implications in plant development and in hormone signal transduction. Using expressed sequence tag (EST) and gene database analyses, members of the Rop family were characterized for the first time in a perennial species (Vitis vinifera). The grapevine genome was found to contain seven expressed VvRops. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that VvRops could be distributed into four groups, as described in the literature for model plants. Genetic mapping was successfully performed for five VvRops, which were localized on independent linkage groups. Conserved and divergent regions were identified on the protein sequences. The results of VvRop expression obtained by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analyses indicated that all the organs investigated displayed VvRop expression, however with different patterns. Whereas no total organ specificity for VvRop expression could be evidenced, VvRop9 displayed high expression in developing berries only. During berry development, the transcript profile was generally similar for all the VvRops, i.e. displaying a peak early in the herbaceous phase followed by a decline towards veraison and thereafter. Western blotting gave a similar expression profile for VvRop proteins. Response to growth regulators was generally specific to each VvRop. The potential involvement of specific VvRops in grapevine development is discussed.