Abstract Nitrogen (N) is quantitatively the main nutrient required by coffee plants, with acquisition mainly by the roots and mostly exported to coffee beans. Nitrate (NO3–) and ammonium (NH4+) are the most important inorganic sources for N uptake. Several N transporters encoded by different gene families mediate the uptake of these compounds. They have an important role in source preference for N uptake in the root system. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis, including in silico expression and phylogenetic analyses of AMT1, AMT2, NRT1/PTR, and NRT2 transporters in the recently sequenced Coffea canephora genome. We analyzed the expression of six selected transporters in Coffea arabica roots submitted to N deficiency. N source preference was also analyzed in C. arabica using isotopes. C. canephora N transporters follow the patterns observed for most eudicots, where each member of the AMT and NRT families has a particular role in N mobilization, and where some of these are modulated by N deficiency. Despite the prevalence of putative nitrate transporters in the Coffea genome, ammonium was the preferential inorganic N source for N-starved C. arabica roots. This data provides an important basis for fundamental and applied studies to depict molecular mechanisms involved in N uptake in coffee trees.

Abstract Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are the result of heritable horizontal gene transfer from viruses to hosts. In the last years, several EVE integration events were reported in plants by the exponential availability of sequenced genomes. Eucalyptus grandis is a forest tree species with a sequenced genome that is poorly studied in terms of evolution and mobile genetic elements composition. Here we report the characterization of E. grandis endogenous viral element 1 (EgEVE_1), a transcriptionally active EVE with a size of 5,664 bp. Phylogenetic analysis and genomic distribution demonstrated that EgEVE_1 is a newly described member of the Caulimoviridae family, distinct from the recently characterized plant Florendoviruses. Genomic distribution of EgEVE_1 and Florendovirus is also distinct. EgEVE_1 qPCR quantification in Eucalyptus urophylla suggests that this genome has more EgEVE_1 copies than E. grandis. EgEVE_1 transcriptional activity was demonstrated by RT-qPCR in five Eucalyptus species and one intrageneric hybrid. We also identified that Eucalyptus EVEs can generate small RNAs (sRNAs),that might be involved in de novo DNA methylation and virus resistance. Our data suggest that EVE families in Eucalyptus have distinct properties, and we provide the first comparative analysis of EVEs in Eucalyptus genomes.

Increased synthesis of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) has been reported in vegetative tissues in response to a range of abiotic stresses. In this work, we evaluated the transcriptional profile of a Coffea canephora galactinol synthase gene (CcGolS1) in two clones that differed in tolerance to water deficit in order to assess the contribution of this gene to drought tolerance. The expression of CcGolS1 in leaves was differentially regulated by water deficit, depending on the intensity of stress and the genotype. In clone 109A (drought-susceptible), the abundance of CcGolS1 transcripts decreased upon exposure to drought, reaching minimum values during recovery from severe water deficit and stress. In contrast, CcGolS1 gene expression in clone 14 (drought-tolerant) was stimulated by water deficit. Changes in galactinol and RFO content did not correlate with variation in the steady-state transcript level. However, the magnitude of increase in RFO accumulation was higher in the tolerant cultivar, mainly under severe water deficit. The finding that the drought-tolerant coffee clone showed enhanced accumulation of CcGolS1 transcripts and RFOs under water deficit suggests the possibility of using this gene to improve drought tolerance in this important crop.

RESUMO No melhoramento genético de eucalipto, existem ainda poucos instrumentos disponíveis para acelerar a seleção de genótipos superiores, e uma das principais estratégias sugeridas para se acelerar este processo é a identificação de marcadores moleculares ligados a caracteres de interesse. Foram avaliados 81 marcadores RAPD em uma progênie F1 de Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden segregante para o caractere florescimento precoce utilizando-se a técnica de Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA). Dentre esses marcadores, um se mostrou relacionado ao caractere, sendo então convertido em Sequence Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR), avaliado em cada indivíduo da progênie e validado em outras progênies que apresentam o caractere. O SCAR mostrou-se informativo na progênie que apresenta um dos parentais como doador do fragmento polimórfico, com eficiência de 60%. Esses resultados descrevem o primeiro marcador SCAR desenvolvido para eucalipto e confirmam a utilidade da técnica de BSA como ferramenta molecular no melhoramento genético florestal e que poderia ser empregada para localização de marcadores ligados a diferentes caracteres silviculturais.

ABSTRACT There are few available tools in eucalyptus breeding to accelerate the selection of superior genotypes, and one of the main tools to improve this process is the use of molecular markers linked to traits of interest. Using “Bulked Segregant Analysis”, we evaluated 81 RAPD molecular markers in a Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden progeny that segregates for early flowering, and one marker was identified as related to this trait. This RAPD marker was converted into a Sequence-Characterized Amplified Region (SCAR), which was then evaluated in a F1 progeny, and validated in other progenies that presents this trait. The SCAR marker was informative in the progeny in which one of the parental was the donor of the band, with an efficiency of 60%. These results describe the first SCAR marker developed for eucalypt and confirm this technique as a useful molecular tool for forestry breeding which could be employed to locate markers linked to other silvicultural traits.

Boron (B) is a low mobility plant micronutrient whose molecular mechanisms of absorption and translocation are still controversial. Many factors are involved in tolerance to Boron excess or deficiency. Recently, the first protein linked to boron transport in biological systems, BOR1, was characterized in Arabidopsis thaliana. This protein is involved in boron xylem loading and is similar to bicarbonate transporters found in animals. There are indications that BOR1 is a member of a conserved protein family in plants. In this work, FORESTS database was used to identify sequences similar to this protein family, looking for a probable BOR1 homolog in eucalypt. We found five consensus sequences similar to BOR1; three of them were then used in multiple alignment analysis. Based on amino acid similarity and in silico expression patterns, a consensus sequence was identified as a candidate BOR1 homolog, helping deeper experimental assays that could identify the function of this protein family in Eucalyptus.