Abiotic stress tolerance in grapes

获得耐寒性是许多植物在温带地区生存的关键。对这种耐受性的分子基础的研究，主要是在模式植物拟南芥中，发现CBF途径在这一过程中是重要的：通过低、非冷冻温度激活这一途径足以提高耐寒性。植物含有不止一个CBF基因，但尚不清楚哪些基因是保护生存所必需的组织所必需的。我们的实验室以葡萄藤为模型解决了这个问题。这些植物的抗寒性在很大程度上取决于芽和拐杖的耐寒性，这是拟南星所没有的组织类型。我们的方法是比较耐寒的野生葡萄和冰冻敏感的酿酒葡萄。我们鉴定和分析了4个不同的葡萄CBF基因，现在想要确定这两个葡萄品种CBF途径的哪些差异导致了抗寒性的差异。预计本研究结果将具有深远的实际应用价值。2006年，安大略省的葡萄酒产业为安大略省政府贡献了2.45亿美元的收入。然而，该行业的持续成功受到严冬的挑战，2005年产量损失约50%。提高对葡萄CBF途径的了解将为指导提高非生物胁迫耐受性的酿酒葡萄品种的平衡生产提供必要的信息。同样的方法也适用于其他木本多年生植物，如桃子和李子。

The acquisition of freezing tolerance is key to the survival of many plants in temperate regions. Investigations into the molecular basis for this tolerance, mostly in the model plant Arabidopsis, have discovered that the CBF pathway is important for this process: Activation of this pathway by low, non-freezing temperatures is sufficient to increase freezing tolerance. Plants contain more than one CBF gene but it is not known which is required to protect tissues that are essential for survival.Our lab addresses this question using grapevines as a model. Winter hardiness in these plants depends in large part on freezing tolerance of buds and canes, tissue types that are absent from Arabisopsis. Our approach is to compare the freezing tolerant wild grape, Vitis riparia, with the freezing sensitive wine grape, Vitis vinifera. We identified and analyzed 4 different grape CBF genes and want to determine now which differences in the CBF pathways of the two grape species results in differences in freezing tolerance.It is anticipated that the results of this research will have far-reaching practical applications. The Ontario wine industry contributed $245 million in 2006 to the Ontario government revenue. However, the continuing success of this Industry is challenged by severe winters, which caused yield losses of about 50% in 2005. An increased understanding of the CBF pathway in grapes would provide the information necessary to guide a balanced approach to the production of winegrape cultivars with increased abiotic stress tolerance. The same approach could be applied to other woody perennials such as peach and plum.