S01 - Session P2 - Transcriptome analysis of Cynara cardunculus L. in southern Portugal

Authors: Ana Paulino, Rita Costa Pires, Jacqueline Santos, Teresa Brás, Daniela Rosa, Otávio S. Paulo, M. Fátima Duarte, Liliana Marum *

Cardoon ( Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial multipurpose crop well adapted to Mediterranean climatic conditions. It is a natural source of sesquiterpene lactones, specifically cynaropicrin. C. cardunculus in Portugal shows tremendous natural variability at a morphological, biochemical and genetic levels. An in-depth genetic characterization of Portuguese populations will be needed for further plant selection/breeding for certain desired production traits. To genetically improve C. cardunculus for its cynaropicrin profile, transcriptomic analysis was carried out in order to select the best genotypes for production of this sesquiterpene. Total RNA for transcriptome analysis was successfully extracted from leaves of the 23 identified C. cardunculu s genotypes (high (H) versus low (L) level of cynaropicrin), using the RNAqueous-4PCR RNA Isolation kit (Invitrogen TM ). RNA concentration and integrity were evaluated by spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, and Agilent BioAnalyzer. cDNA libraries were prepared for transcriptome sequencing, and stranded paired-end sequencing was performed on the Illumina platform. Bioinformatics analysis of transcriptome data is being analyzed. This study will reveal new insights into the transcriptional regulation of cynaropicrin biosynthesis in cardoon.