Light and stress signal transduction pathways: how to optimize multiple responses for improving crop yield and quality

Abstract

Knowing the challenge imposed on science for ensuring food security in times of climate change, it is essential to identify the genetic variables that modulate crop yield and quality, understand their mechanisms of action, and evaluate how these mechanisms are affected by the changing environmental conditions. In this context, the general objective of this proposal is to study common factors involved in light and stress signal transduction, aiming to optimize multiple responses for improving the production and nutritional quality of food feedstock. Using Solanum lycopersicum, an eudicot of high nutritional interest for human diet, as model species; this project proposes to expand the knowledge generated by the groups of the leading researchers about the function of light signaling factors, as well as tocopherol metabolism, a well-known stress protector. It is worth mentioning that the background and most of the genetic material to be used have been obtained in the context of previous joint projects granted by FAPESP (2016/01128-9 and 2021/05079-0). To achieve the objective, the following activities are proposed: (i) to investigate the role of phytochrome (PHY)-mediated light signal transduction and nitric oxide (NO) signaling on tomato responses to warm temperature conditions; (ii) to investigate the role of PHY-mediated light signal transduction and NO signaling on tomato fruit cuticle formation; (iii) to investigate the role of B-box (SlBBX) and interacting proteins in shade avoidance and biotic stress; (iv) to investigate the link between SlBBXs and epigenetic regulation and; (v) to engineer plants for high tocopherol content for stress tolerance and nutritional quality improvement. Due to the conserved function of the genetic determinants studied, the information generated will be plausible to be transposed to other species. (AU)