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Title: MONITORING GENE EXPRESSION PROFILES DURING COLD ACCLIMATION IN BLUEBERRY UNDER FIELD AND COLD ROOM CONDITIONS USING CDNA MICROARRAYS

Author
item DHANARAJ, ANIK - MONSANTO
item ALKHAROUF, NADIM - U.MD
item Beard, Hunter
item Ben Chouikha, Imed
item Matthews, Benjamin
item Rowland, Lisa

Submitted to: In Vitro Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2005
Publication Date: 6/5/2005
Citation: Dhanaraj, A., Alkharouf, N., Beard, H.S., Ben Chouikha, I., Matthews, B.F., Rowland, L.J. 2005. Monitoring gene expression profiles during cold acclimation in blueberry under field and cold room conditions using cdna microarrays. In Vitro Biology. 41:38-A.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Monitoring Gene Expression Profiles during Cold Acclimation in Blueberry under Field and Cold Room Conditions Using cDNA Microarrays. A. L. Dhanaraj, N. W. Alkharouf*, H. S. Beard*, I. B. Chouikha*, B. F. Matthews* and L. J. Rowland. Fruit Laboratory, *Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Plant Sciences Institute, Beltsville Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705, e-mail: rowlandj@ba.ars.usda.gov Environmental stresses, including low temperature extremes, reduce crop yields and impact the profitability and competitiveness of U.S. producers. The U.S. is the world's leading blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) producer. The blueberry industry in the U.S., however, suffers from a lack of winter hardy and spring-frost resistant cultivars. Our laboratory has been working toward increasing our understanding of the genetic control of cold hardiness in blueberry to ultimately use this information to develop more cold hardy cultivars. Here, we report using cDNA microarrays to monitor changes in gene expression associated with cold acclimation in blueberry under field and cold room conditions. Approximately 2400 cDNA clones were picked from two cDNA libraries that were constructed using RNA isolated from cold acclimated floral buds (collected in mid-winter) and non-acclimated floral buds (collected in fall) of the fairly cold hardy cultivar Bluecrop. 5' ESTs were generated from the cDNAs, assembled into contigs, and categorized based on BLAST search results. cDNA inserts were amplified from the plasmids, purified, and arrayed onto glass slides. Expression was monitored at multiple times during cold acclimation of plants under both field and cold room conditions. A large percentage of gene transcripts were found to be up-regulated during cold acclimation and, interestingly, more transcripts were found to be up-regulated under cold room conditions than under field conditions. These results suggest that plants may be responding to more stresses in the cold room than in the field environment.