[SCAN] Improving abiotic stress tolerance in Medicago truncatulaby engineering polyamines metabolic pathway

Title:

Improving abiotic stress tolerance in Medicago truncatulaby engineering polyamines metabolic pathway 

Abstract:

In the current scenario of climate change, plants are being challenged with frequent episodes of extreme weather events and suffer recurrently from various abiotic stresses that negatively affect plant growth and development, and limits productivity. Abiotic stresses activate the expression of several stress-related genes, leading to the synthesis of active proteins and accumulation of metabolites. Among those, we can highlight the activation of genes that are related to the accumulation of polyamines (PAs) in plants exposed to adverse environmental conditions. Consequently, PAs are interesting biomolecules to manipulate through genetic engineering towards abiotic stress tolerance.

In this talk, the effect of an ectopic expression of the Arginine Decarboxylase (ADC) gene in the model legume Medicago truncatula will be presented. (ADC is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the diamine Putrescine from the amino-acid Arginine.) Studies related to transgenic ADC M. truncatula plants tolerance to drought and salt stresses will be discussed. The positive effect observed in both studies suggests that the accumulation of PAs in medicago is correlated with an increased resistance to adverse abiotic conditions. Moreover, the overexpression of the ADC gene in medicago promotes the symbioticinteraction Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium melilotiby increment plant nodules under salt stress conditions.