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Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.
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Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Development and Morphogenesis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 July 2021) | Viewed by 25185

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ornella Calderini

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR), CNR,via Madonna Alta 130, 06128 Perugia, Italy
Interests: plant cell cycle and meiosis; plant development and reproduction; signal transduction via MAPK genes related to development and stress responses; plant functional genomics in model (Arabidopsis and Medicago truncatula) and crop species; bioenergy crops; biodiversity; heterosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Andrea Porceddu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Agraria University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: gene structure; functional genomics; biodiversity; Medicago truncatula
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesco Panara

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Trisaia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, (ENEA), 75026 Rotondella, MT, Italy
Interests: plant science; functional genomics; transcriptomics; plant metabolites; plant development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Legumes have received renewed attention as a source of high-value protein for food and feed, due to the highly sustainability of their cultivation. In particular, their ability to fix nitrogen is beneficial to themselves and to intercropped and subsequent crops. Medicago truncatula has gained importance in recent years as one of the main model species for legumes because of its relatively small genome, short lifecycle, and the possibility of transformation. Genome sequencing and resequencing, mutant collections, and the recent application of genome editing technologies have all contributed to a wider understanding of Medicago plant development, interaction with microorganisms, responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and secondary metabolism.

In the current Special Issue we welcome contributions in form of original articles, reviews, and short communications on the recent advances in the molecular analysis and biology of Medicago truncatula and Medicago spp.

Dr. Ornella Calderini
Prof. Dr. Andrea Porceddu
Dr. Francesco Panara
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Medicago
  • genomics
  • functional genomics
  • development
  • abiotic and biotic interaction
  • secondary compound

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 4804 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of Histone Modification Gene Families in the Model Legume Medicago truncatula and Their Expression Analysis in Nodules
by Loredana Lopez, Giorgio Perrella, Ornella Calderini, Andrea Porceddu and Francesco Panara
Plants 2022, 11(3), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030322 - 26 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3417
Abstract
Histone methylation and acetylation are key processes in the epigenetic regulation of plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli. The genes encoding for the enzymes that are responsible for these chromatin post-translational modifications, referred to as histone modification genes (HMGs), have been [...] Read more.
Histone methylation and acetylation are key processes in the epigenetic regulation of plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli. The genes encoding for the enzymes that are responsible for these chromatin post-translational modifications, referred to as histone modification genes (HMGs), have been poorly investigated in Leguminosae species, despite their importance for establishment and activity of nitrogen-fixing nodules. In silico analysis of Medicago truncatula HMGs identified 81 histone methyltransferases, 46 histone demethylases, 64 histone acetyltransferases, and 15 histone deacetylases. MtHMGs were analyzed for their structure and domain composition, and some combinations that were not yet reported in other plant species were identified. Genes have been retrieved from M. truncatula A17 and R108 genotypes as well as M. sativa CADL and Zhongmu No.1; the gene number and distribution were compared with Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, by analyzing the expression data that were obtained at various developmental stages and in different zones of nitrogen-fixing nodules, we identified MtHMG loci that could be involved in nodule development and function. This work sets a reference for HMG genomic organization in legumes which will be useful for functional investigation that is aimed at elucidating HMGs involvement in nodule development and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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21 pages, 2349 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Responses of Contrasting Medicago truncatula Lines under Water Deficit Stress
by Loua Haddoudi, Sabrine Hdira, Mohsen Hanana, Irene Romero, Imen Haddoudi, Asma Mahjoub, Hatem Ben Jouira, Naceur Djébali, Ndiko Ludidi, Maria Teresa Sanchez-Ballesta, Chedly Abdelly and Mounawer Badri
Plants 2021, 10(10), 2114; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102114 - 6 Oct 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2541
Abstract
Medicago truncatula is a forage crop of choice for farmers, and it is a model species for molecular research. The growth and development and subsequent yields are limited by water availability mainly in arid and semi-arid regions. Our study aims to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Medicago truncatula is a forage crop of choice for farmers, and it is a model species for molecular research. The growth and development and subsequent yields are limited by water availability mainly in arid and semi-arid regions. Our study aims to evaluate the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular responses to water deficit stress in four lines (TN6.18, JA17, TN1.11 and A10) of M. truncatula. The results showed that the treatment factor explained the majority of the variation for the measured traits. It appeared that the line A10 was the most sensitive and therefore adversely affected by water deficit stress, which reduced its growth and yield parameters, whereas the tolerant line TN6.18 exhibited the highest root biomass production, a significantly higher increase in its total protein and soluble sugar contents, and lower levels of lipid peroxidation with greater cell membrane integrity. The expression analysis of the DREB1B gene using RT-qPCR revealed a tissue-differential expression in the four lines under osmotic stress, with a higher induction rate in roots of TN6.18 and JA17 than in A10 roots, suggesting a key role for DREB1B in water deficit tolerance in M. truncatula. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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16 pages, 8080 KiB  
Article
Medicago ABI3 Splicing Isoforms Regulate the Expression of Different Gene Clusters to Orchestrate Seed Maturation
by David Lalanne, Jaiana Malabarba, Joseph Ly Vu, Michaela Hundertmark, Julien Delahaie, Olivier Leprince, Julia Buitink and Jerome Verdier
Plants 2021, 10(8), 1710; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081710 - 19 Aug 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2905
Abstract
Seed maturation comprises important developmental processes, such as seed filling and the acquisition of seed germination capacity, desiccation tolerance, longevity, and dormancy. The molecular regulation of these processes is tightly controlled by the LAFL transcription factors, among which ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) [...] Read more.
Seed maturation comprises important developmental processes, such as seed filling and the acquisition of seed germination capacity, desiccation tolerance, longevity, and dormancy. The molecular regulation of these processes is tightly controlled by the LAFL transcription factors, among which ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) was shown to be involved in most of these seed maturation processes. Here, we studied the ABI3 gene from Medicago truncatula, a model legume plant for seed studies. With the transcriptomes of two loss-of-function Medicago abi3 mutants, we were able to show that many gene classes were impacted by the abi3 mutation at different stages of early, middle, and late seed maturation. We also discovered three MtABI3 expression isoforms, which present contrasting expression patterns during seed development. Moreover, by ectopically expressing these isoforms in Medicago hairy roots generated from the abi3 mutant line background, we showed that each isoform regulated specific gene clusters, suggesting divergent molecular functions. Furthermore, we complemented the Arabidopsis abi3 mutant with each of the three MtABI3 isoforms and concluded that all isoforms were capable of restoring seed viability and desiccation tolerance phenotypes even if not all isoforms complemented the seed color phenotype. Taken together, our results allow a better understanding of the ABI3 network in Medicago during seed development, as well as the discovery of commonly regulated genes from the three MtABI3 isoforms, which can give us new insights into how desiccation tolerance and seed viability are regulated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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18 pages, 4467 KiB  
Article
Cleaning the Medicago Microarray Database to Improve Gene Function Analysis
by Francesca Marzorati, Chu Wang, Giulio Pavesi, Luca Mizzi and Piero Morandini
Plants 2021, 10(6), 1240; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10061240 - 18 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3359
Abstract
Transcriptomics studies have been facilitated by the development of microarray and RNA-Seq technologies, with thousands of expression datasets available for many species. However, the quality of data can be highly variable, making the combined analysis of different datasets difficult and unreliable. Most of [...] Read more.
Transcriptomics studies have been facilitated by the development of microarray and RNA-Seq technologies, with thousands of expression datasets available for many species. However, the quality of data can be highly variable, making the combined analysis of different datasets difficult and unreliable. Most of the microarray data for Medicago truncatula, the barrel medic, have been stored and made publicly accessible on the web database Medicago truncatula Gene Expression atlas (MtGEA). The aim of this work is to ameliorate the quality of the MtGEA database through a general method based on logical and statistical relationships among parameters and conditions. The initial 716 columns available in the dataset were reduced to 607 by evaluating the quality of data through the sum of the expression levels over the entire transcriptome probes and Pearson correlation among hybridizations. The reduced dataset shows great improvements in the consistency of the data, with a reduction in both false positives and false negatives resulting from Pearson correlation and GO enrichment analysis among genes. The approach we used is of general validity and our intent is to extend the analysis to other plant microarray databases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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19 pages, 4842 KiB  
Article
Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical, and Genetic Responses to Salinity in Medicago truncatula
by Sabrine Hdira, Loua Haddoudi, Mohsen Hanana, Irene Romero, Asma Mahjoub, Hatem Ben Jouira, Ndiko Ludidi, Maria Teresa Sanchez-Ballesta, Chedly Abdelly and Mounawer Badri
Plants 2021, 10(4), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040808 - 20 Apr 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3141
Abstract
We used an integrated morpho-physiological, biochemical, and genetic approach to investigate the salt responses of four lines (TN1.11, TN6.18, JA17, and A10) of Medicago truncatula. Results showed that TN1.11 exhibited a high tolerance to salinity, compared with the other lines, recording a [...] Read more.
We used an integrated morpho-physiological, biochemical, and genetic approach to investigate the salt responses of four lines (TN1.11, TN6.18, JA17, and A10) of Medicago truncatula. Results showed that TN1.11 exhibited a high tolerance to salinity, compared with the other lines, recording a salinity induced an increase in soluble sugars and soluble proteins, a slight decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and less reduction in plant biomass. TN6.18 was the most susceptible to salinity as it showed less plant weight, had elevated levels of MDA, and lower levels of soluble sugars and soluble proteins under salt stress. As transcription factors of the APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor (AP2/ERF) family play important roles in plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, we performed a functional characterization of MtERF1 gene. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that MtERF1 is mainly expressed in roots and is inducible by NaCl and low temperature. Additionally, under salt stress, a greater increase in the expression of MtERF1 was found in TN1.11 plants than that in TN6.18. Therefore, the MtERF1 pattern of expression may provide a useful marker for discriminating among lines of M. truncatula and can be used as a tool in breeding programs aiming at obtaining Medicago lines with improved salt tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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16 pages, 4019 KiB  
Article
WUSCHEL Overexpression Promotes Callogenesis and Somatic Embryogenesis in Medicago truncatula Gaertn
by Aline Kadri, Ghislaine Grenier De March, François Guerineau, Viviane Cosson and Pascal Ratet
Plants 2021, 10(4), 715; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040715 - 7 Apr 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4705
Abstract
The induction of plant somatic embryogenesis is often a limiting step for plant multiplication and genetic manipulation in numerous crops. It depends on multiple signaling developmental processes involving phytohormones and the induction of specific genes. The WUSCHEL gene (WUS) is required [...] Read more.
The induction of plant somatic embryogenesis is often a limiting step for plant multiplication and genetic manipulation in numerous crops. It depends on multiple signaling developmental processes involving phytohormones and the induction of specific genes. The WUSCHEL gene (WUS) is required for the production of plant embryogenic stem cells. To explore a different approach to induce somatic embryogenesis, we have investigated the effect of the heterologous ArabidopsisWUS gene overexpression under the control of the jasmonate responsive vsp1 promoter on the morphogenic responses of Medicago truncatula explants. WUS expression in leaf explants increased callogenesis and embryogenesis in the absence of growth regulators. Similarly, WUS expression enhanced the embryogenic potential of hairy root fragments. The WUS gene represents thus a promising tool to develop plant growth regulator-free regeneration systems or to improve regeneration and transformation efficiency in recalcitrant crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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Graphical abstract

9 pages, 1827 KiB  
Article
A Root Tip-Specific Expressing Anthocyanin Marker for Direct Identification of Transgenic Tissues by the Naked Eye in Symbiotic Studies
by Yiting Ruan, Ke Chen, Yangyang Su, Suyu Jiang, Ping Xu and Jeremy D. Murray
Plants 2021, 10(3), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030605 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3613
Abstract
The Agrobacterium rhizogenes hairy root transformation system is widely used in symbiotic studies of model legumes. It typically relies on fluorescent reporters, such as DsRed, for identification of transgenic roots. The MtLAP1 transcription factor has been utilized as a reporter system in Medicago [...] Read more.
The Agrobacterium rhizogenes hairy root transformation system is widely used in symbiotic studies of model legumes. It typically relies on fluorescent reporters, such as DsRed, for identification of transgenic roots. The MtLAP1 transcription factor has been utilized as a reporter system in Medicago truncatula based on production of anthocyanin pigment. Here, we describe a version of this reporter driven by a root-cap specific promoter for direct observation of anthocyanin accumulation in root tips, which allows the identification of transgenic hairy roots by the naked eye. Results from our analysis suggest that the reporter had no significant effects on nodulation of M. truncatula. This approach, by virtue of its strong and specific expression in root cap cells, greatly reduces false positives and false negatives, and its use of an easily scored visible pigment should allow greater versatility and efficiency in root biology studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Analysis of Medicago Spp.)
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