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 - 3.30

TRASCRIPTION PROFILE OF GENES INDUCED BY CADMIUM IN BRASSICA JUNCEA FOR PHYTOREMEDIATION

N. FUSCO, G. DAL CORSO, L. BORGATO, A. FURINI

Dipartimento Scientifico e Tecnologico, Università degli Studi di Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona

Heavy metal contamination of soil poses serious problems to both human health and agriculture. The available engineering-based technologies used to remediate soils are quite costly, and often dramatically disturb the landscape. Recently, there has been considerable interest focused on the use of several terrestrial plants able to absorb heavy metals from the soil and concentrate them in the harvestable shoot tissues as an alternative remediation technology. These plants have developed networks that enable them to regulate the uptake, the translocation and sequestration of heavy metals to limit the exposure of cytosolic proteins to toxic elements such as cadmium and lead. Up to now most components of this network remain unidentified and little is known about the signal transduction cascades involved in gene regulation due to changes in the metal status of soils. Therefore, to molecularly characterize these processes we chose Brassica juncea as a model plant for accumulation and tolerance of heavy metals. Using the cDNA-AFLP expression profiling we are studying transcriptional changes upon exposure to Cd for 6 h, 24 h and 6 weeks. So far 130 fragments of consistently up-regulated, transiently regulated and down-regulated signal have been isolated and sequenced. Several putative signal transduction components such as a bZIP transcriptional factor, a putative receptor protein kinase, a nodA protein, a phenylalanine ammonia liase and several proteins with unknown function have been already identified. These data will help to better understand the process of Cd accumulation and tolerance. Eventually, this information will be used to develop more effective remediating plant species and agronomic practices that enhance phytoremediation.