Proceedings of the XLVII Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Verona, Italy - 24/27 September, 2003

ISBN 88-900622-4-X

Poster Abstract - 1.15

ANALYSIS OF THERMOTOLERANCE IN DURUM WHEAT: A MOLECULAR CHARACTERISATION

M. CORRADI*, P. RAMPINO**, M. CIAVARRELLA***, M. GULLÌ*, N. DI FONZO***, N. MARMIROLI*, C. PERROTTA**

*) Department of Environmental Science, University of Parma, Italy

**) Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Lecce, Italy

***) Experimental Institute of Crop Research, S.S 16 km 675, 71100 Foggia (Italy)

thermotolerance, triticae, molecular markers, differential display

High temperature represents a major constraint affecting organisms’ adaptability and survival. Plants exhibit a very different capacity to respond to this environmental stress, and inter and intra specific variations are mostly due to genetic variability. Different wheat genotypes were evaluated for their cellular thermotolerance, by cell membrane stability (CMS) assay. We tested cultivated and wild durum wheat and some wild wheat relatives (Aegilops spp.) originating from semi-arid areas. Some genotypes selected on the basis of their thermotolerance as the most heat resistant were used to study the molecular basis of thermotolerance. The level of induction of several HSP genes was analysed in both tolerant and sensitive genotypes in order to identify differences in the induction of these genes that have been suggested to be correlated to tolerance. DDRT-PCR was performed on one of the most tolerant Aegilops to identify sequences differentially expressed after a temperature shift from 23 to 42°C. About 20 bands specific to the stress response were identified and cloned. Moreover genetic variation in traits associated with thermotolerance was studied using AP-PCR and LP-PCR markers. Different patterns were identified, associated with inter and intra species differences, specific bands were isolated and sequenced.