Amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism are coordinated to maintain energetic balance during drought in sugarcane

Authors: DINIZ, AUGUSTO LIMA - Universidade De Sao Paulo; DA SILVA, DANIELLE IZILDA - Universidade De Sao Paulo; LEMBKE, CAROLINA GIMILI - Universidade De Sao Paulo; COSTA, MAXIMILLER DAL- - Universidade De Sao Paulo; TEN-CATEN, FELIPE - Universidade De Sao Paulo; LI, FORREST - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; VILELA, ROMEL DURATE - Universidade Federal De Alagoas; MENOSSI, MARCELO - Universidade De Campinas (UNICAMP); Ware, Doreen; ENGRES, LAURICIO - Universidade Federal De Alagoas; SOUZA, GLAUCIA MENDES - Universidade De Sao Paulo

Submitted to: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2020
Publication Date: 11/30/2020
Citation: Diniz, A., Da Silva, D. ., Lembke, C.A., Costa, M.B., Ten-Caten, F., Li, F., Vilela, R., Menossi, M., Ware, D., Engres, L., Souza, G. 2020. Amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism are coordinated to maintain energetic balance during drought in sugarcane. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21(23):9124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21239124.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21239124

Interpretive Summary: Drought affects crop production impairing the plant’s life cycle and demands fast and complex, yet coordinated changes in gene expression for assuring plant survival. The drought stress response is a complex system involving the optimization of plant growth and survival at several levels in an integrated manner. In this study sugarcane gene expression and physiological responses were monitored during drought and recovery. The analyses demonstrated many genes change expression in response to drought and recovery. By tracking the genes that change expression together, the study suggests there is a coordinated response between carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid degradation to provide carbon skeletons to the tricarboxylic acid cycle which produces the main energy for the plant cells. This may keep the energetic balance for drought stress adaptation allowing conditions for the recovery after stress is ceased.

Technical Abstract: The expansion of crop plantations without irrigation is largely sought after in efforts to increase agriculture sustainability. To meet this end, we need to understand the mechanisms that govern the responses of plant growth in drought conditions. This work is aimed at providing a comprehensive view of sugarcane drought and recovery responses in leaves and roots and is the first in combining physiological, transcriptomic (RNA-Seq, oligoarray) and genomic data. We identified 2,898 (out of 21,902) and 46,062 (out of 373,869) differentially expressed transcripts in oligoarray and RNAseq, respectively. Co-expression analysis indicated modules enriched in photosynthesis, small molecule metabolism, alpha-amino acid metabolism, trehalose biosynthesis, serine family amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate transport. Our study shows a coordination between carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid degradation to provide carbon skeletons to the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This may keep the energetic balance for drought stress adaptation allowing conditions for the recovery after stress is ceased.