Plant & Animal Genomes XI Conference

January 11-15, 2003
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Workshop: Abiotic Stress
            

INTEGRATIVE FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS OF Vitis vinifera: HOW DOES ABIOTIC STRESS IMPROVE WINE QUALITY?

¹ Department of Biochemistry, MS200, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557

² Department of Biochemistry, MS330, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557

³ Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061

Water deficit, high salinity, and temperature extremes have major impacts on grape production and quality. One desirable outcome of abiotic stress, particularly water deficit stress, is an improvement in wine quality through increased accumulation of flavor and aroma components in berries. To understand how abiotic stress brings about such improved quality traits in fruit and wine, we have embarked upon the development of a comprehensive functional genomic analysis program of grapevine, Vitis vinifera. We will create an annotated EST database of up to 80,000 ESTs from cDNA libraries generated from salinity, water deficit, cold, heat, and low-oxygen stress treated vines of V. vinifera cv Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. This information will be used to fabricate oligonucleotide-based microarrays and to conduct mRNA expression profiling in roots, leaves, and fruits of grapevines exposed to various abiotic stresses. Global mRNA expression profile data will be complemented by protein expression analyses using state-of-the-art proteomics methodologies. Detailed analysis of changes in volatile and non-volatile metabolite composition from grape juice of well-watered and water-deficit-treated vines will be compared with primary and secondary metabolism–related genes whose stress-induced expression coincides with the production of various color, flavor, and aroma components. Finally, we will develop robust bioinformatics capabilities to integrate the data sets from these multi-level functional genomics studies. This integrated approach is expected to lead to the discovery of candidate genes to facilitate genetic engineering of improved abiotic stress tolerance and fruit quality traits in V. vinifera. Ultimately, these data sets will be integrated into a reliable prediction model for desirable quality characteristics and improved health benefits of wine arising from environmentally adverse growing conditions.