ABA represses the expression of cell cycle genes and may modulate the development of endodormancy in grapevine buds

Abstract

© 2017 Vergara, Noriega, Aravena, Prieto and Pérez. Recently, the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has been implicated as a key player in the regulation of endodormancy (ED) in grapevine buds (Vitis vinifera L). In this study, we show that in the vine, the expression of genes related to the biosynthesis of ABA (VvNCED1; VvNCED2) and the content of ABA are significantly higher in the latent bud than at the shoot apex, while the expression of an ABA catabolic gene (VvA8H3) showed no significant difference between either organ. A negative correlation between the content of ABA and transcript levels of cell cycle genes (CCG) was found in both tissues. This result suggested that ABA may negatively regulate the expression of CCG in meristematic tissues of grapevines. To test this proposition, the effect of ABA on the expression of CCG was analyzed in two meristematic tissues of the vine: somatic embryos and shoot apexes. The results indicated that cell cycle progression is repressed by ABA