Research Article Differential proteomics in contrasting cowpea genotypes submitted to different water regimes

Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is of great importance for human consumption due to its high nutritional value. The crop is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world; however, grain productivity is severely affected by water restriction imposed by long periods of drought in semiarid regions. We compared two contrasting cowpea genotypes for drought tolerance through proteomic analyses by identifying differentially expressed proteins responsive to water deficit and associating them with physiological responses. Water stress-tolerant (Pingo de Ouro 1,2) and sensitive (Santo Inácio) cowpea genotypes were submitted to moderate (pd =-1.0 MPa) and severe (pd =-1.5 MPa) water deficit conditions, re-irrigation after severe water deficit, and a full irrigation regime as a control. Physiological responses and expressed proteins in response to water stress were assessed. Pingo de Ouro 1,2 showed drought tolerance by delaying dehydration, being efficient in stomatal control, increasing photosynthesis and reducing transpiration rates. Based on proteomic analysis, 108 differentially expressed proteins were identified that may be associated with drought response in both tolerant and sensitive genotypes. Drought stress-response peptides, including glutamine synthetase, CPN60-2 chaperonin, malate dehydrogenase, heat-shock proteins, and rubisco were expressed differentially in both genotypes. The changes in the proteome in cowpea ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 18 (4): gmr18396 E.N. Lima et al. 2 leaves in response to drought can help us understand the mechanisms and specific metabolic pathways involved in drought tolerant and drought sensitive cowpea genotypes.

Phenotypic, genotypic and nutritional divergence in cowpea and implications for drought tolerance breeding: a review

“…Genomics studies in cowpea breeding are under way, including the use of single-molecule real-time sequencing, and genetic and optical mapping to develop a single-haplotype inbred cowpea genome (Lonardi et al 2019) Proteomic data has been used to study pathways involved in drought tolerant and sensitive cowpea genotypes (Lima et al 2019), and also to compare the grain protein profile of four Brazilian cowpea cultivars (Honaiser et al 2022). A metabolomics study has characterised legumes' adaptive and response to abiotic stresses (Bueno and Lopes, 2020).…”

Alterações morfofisiológicas e metabólitos secundários produzidos por feijoeiros submetidos ao estresse hídrico: uma revisão integrativa

“…Conforme Lima et al, (2019), em se tratando da expressão gênica, os genótipos tolerantes e sensíveis à escassez hídrica apresentam divergências qualitativas e quantitativas. Isso demonstra que uma grande diversidade de genes e rotas bioquímicas estão associadas a tolerância à seca e os níveis de expressão gênica, em resposta ao déficit hídrico, se alteram continuamente.…”

“…O estudo destes mecanismos, juntamente com a genética molecular, tem sido utilizado para identificar genes relevantes na determinação das características de resistência e tolerância à seca. As pesquisas que envolvem tais genes têm se tornado cada vez mais importantes, tendo em vista o progressivo advento das mudanças climáticas e pelo fato da escassez hídrica ser um fenômeno cada vez mais presente em todo o mundo (Lima et al, 2019).…”

OMICS in Fodder Crops: Applications, Challenges, and Prospects

“…During two cycles of backcrossing based on genome-wide SNP markers, foreground and background selections resulted in families with very large seeds (28–35 g/100 seeds). Parasitic weeds, Striga gesnerioides (present in the dry savannah areas of West and Central Africa) and Alectra vogelii (found in eastern and southern Africa) can cause yield reductions of 73 to 100% [ 110 , 115 ]. One Striga plant can produce up to 90,000 seeds, which can be viable in the soil for 15 to 20 years [ 116 ].…”

“…Glutamine synthetase, CPN60-2 chaperonin, malate dehydrogenase, heat-shock proteins, and rubisco were identified as drought stress-response peptides expressed differentially in both genotypes. This study concluded that most of the proteins identified were related to photosynthesis, the critical mechanism for plant survival [ 115 ]. Protein expression patterns associated with embryogenic cell suspension prepared from friable embryogenic calli (FEC) were investigated in cowpea using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protein mapping and mass spectrometry analysis.…”