Efeitos da 5-azacitidina na fisiologia da soja cultivada sob deficiência hídrica

Abstract

Abiotic and biotic stresses have a negative effect on the physiological and biochemical processes that are associated with the growth and development of plants. Plants have several strategies to cope with environmental stresses, including expression level and modification of certain genes by introducing epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation. DNA methylation patterns in plants are dynamic and some earlier findings support the hypothesis that changes in methylation status of genes are due to the mechanisms of adaptation to environmental stress. In plants the 5-azacytidine is usually used as agent inhibiting methylation of DNA. The use of 5-azacytidine may increase hypomethylation and transcriptional reactivation of the genome of gene silencing and leads to alteration of the growth and development of the plant. The objective of this study was to evaluate in a systematic way the effects of 5-azacytidine in physiological processes of Glycine max (L.) Merrill under water stress. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in a 2x4 factorial design, with two water regimes, 100% and 30% of daily replenishment of water compared to field capacity on the V4 stage, and four forms of 5-azacytidine application solution, seeds, plants in the V5 and R2 fase in seed plants in the V5 and R2 fase and control plants without application of the solution. The following parameters were evaluated: leaf water potential, chlorophyll content index, membrane leakage, photosynthetic potential in growth stages R2 and R5) and biomass yield at the end of the crop cycle. The data were submitted to ANOVA and mean values compared by Tukey test (p<0.05). In addition, a multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) was performed in an attempt to separate the different behavior. The level of disturbance from plants subjected to water stress was sufficient to reduce the values of the water status parameters, CRA, gas exchange and biomass. Plants under 100% daily replacement of the water with the treatment of 5-azacytidine in seed biomass statistically reduced parameters compared with other forms of 5-azac application under same water condition. However, in plants subjected to water stress, 5-azac application increased plant biomass over the plants without application of the product. Plants treated with 5-azacytidine also reduced phenotypic plasticity in relation to the plant without application of 5-azac. The physiological changes such as possible reduction in DNA methylation may have an impact on the average variability and plasticity of the characteristics of plants of Glycine max. These results can be useful for studying the molecular mechanism of DNA methylation induced by 5-azacytidine and establish a base for further studies of the relationship between methylation do DNA and phenotypic plasticity.