DIversité - Adaptation - DEveloppement des plantes
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Abscission: Molecular, cellular and genetic studies of oil palm fruit shedding

Coordinators 

Timothy TRANBARGER, F2F team – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fabienne MORCILLO, F2F team – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fruit abscission depends on cell separation mechanisms that occur within specialized cell layers called the abscission zone (AZ). Our research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms in the AZ underlying ripe fruit abscission of the monocot oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). Current work involves comparative studies with the American oil palm Elaeis oleifera that has evolved different anatomical and physiological characteristics compared to E. guineensis.

Since 2014, our research on fruit abscission has qualified oil palm as the monocot fleshy fruit model. Major results include evidence that the IDA–HAE–HSL2 (INFLORESCENCE DEFICIENT IN ABSCISSION-HAESA-HAESA-LIKE2) abscission regulatory pathway functions in the abscission zone (AZ) (Stø et al. 2015), where the IDA peptide has hormone-like bioactivity to enhance oil palm fruit abscission (Tranbarger et al. 2019). A detailed cellular characterization of the oil palm fruit AZ cell layers identified dynamic pectin changes that take place in specialized AZ cells (Roongsattham et al. 2016). A phenotyping methodology was developed (Fooyontphanich et al. 2016) and used to examine the environmental variables that affect oil palm ripe fruit abscission (Tisné et al. 2020), and for a QTL approach to identify genomic regions that control abscission (Morcillo, Tisné et al. in preparation). A global transcriptome analysis identified AZ specific gene expression (Fooyontphanich et al. 2021), while the identification of a non-shedding E. oleifera variant (Morcillo et al. 2021) revealed perturbations to hormone signaling, ROS homeostasis, and hemicellulose metabolism, and allowed comparisons with the African species. Taken together, these integrative data sets allow insight into the mechanisms of oil palm ripe fruit abscission. This collaborative work involved groups in Montpellier, Europe, Africa and South America, an intra-unit collaboration with the Advens team, and in particular, benefited from a privileged collaboration with PalmElit SAS, the French oil palm seed company.

Participants 

INRAB, CRA-PP, Bénin: H. Domonhédo

DANEC SAS, Colé, Ecuador

PalmElit SAS : Michel Cazemajor

UMR DIADE (IRD, UM), Montpellier, France: F2F team (T. Tranbarger, M. Collin, F. Morcillo, J-R Brossier), ADvENS team (Stéphane Dussert)

UMR AGAP (CIRAD, INRA, INRIA, UM, Montpellier SupAgro), Montpellier, France: S. Tisné

Former Fruit Abscission Students

Cédric Micouin Undergrade 2022

Antoine Beckers, Undergrade 2020

Kim Fooyontphanich, PhD student 2012-2015

Peerapat Roongsattham, PhD student 2008-2011

Bussarin Wachananawat, Master's Student 2014

Guillaume Bourdel, Master's Student 2009

Chonlada Borisut, Master's Student 2010

Steven Moussu, Undergrade 2011

Chloe Guerrin, Undergrade 2010

Abscission Publications (Bold: current members and PhD student; underlined: former members and students)

  1. Kućko, A., de Dios Alché, J., Tranbarger, T.J., Wilmowicz, E., Abscisic acid- and ethylene-induced abscission of yellow lupine flowers is mediated by jasmonates, Journal of Plant Physiology (2023). [PDF]
  2. von Baeyer, M, Tranbarger, TJ and Spengler, RN, III (2022). Loss of Reproductive Organ Separation Zones as Adaptation to Anthropogenic Seed-Dispersal-Based Mutualism. Annual Plant Reviews. 5 (4): 345-382 [PDF]
  3. Wilmowicz, E., Kućko, A., Tranbarger, T.J., Ostrowski, M., Niedojadło, J., Karwaszewski, J., Kapuścińska, D. and Panek, K. (2022) EPIP as an abscission promoting agent in the phytohormonal pathway. Plant Physiol Bioch. 178: 137–145. [PDF]
  4. Kucko A, de Dios Alché J, Tranbarger TJ, Wilmowicz E.  (2022) The acceleration of yellow lupine flower abscission by jasmonates is accompanied by lipid-related events in abscission zone cells. Plant Science 316:111173. [PDF]
  5. Morcillo F, Serret J, Beckers A, Collin M, Tisné S, George S, Poveda R, Louise C, Tranbarger TJ. (2021) A non-shedding fruit Elaeis oleifera palm reveals perturbations to hormone signaling, ROS homeostasis, and hemicellulose metabolism. Genes 12(11): 1724. [PDF]
  6. Wilmowicz E, Kućko A, Pokora W, Kapusta M, Jasieniecka-Gazarkiewicz K, Tranbarger TJ, Wolska M, Panek K. EPIP-Evoked Modifications of Redox, Lipid, and Pectin Homeostasis in the Abscission Zone of Lupine Flowers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(6):3001. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063001
  7. Fooyontphanich K, Morcillo F, Joët T, Dussert S, Serret J, Collin M, Amblard P, Tangphatsornruang S, Roongsattham P, Jantasuriyarat C, Verdeil J-L. Tranbarger TJ. (2021) Multi-scale comparative transcriptome analysis reveals key genes and metabolic reprogramming processes associated with oil palm fruit abscission. BMC Plant Biology 21:92 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-021-02874-1
  8. Tisné S, Denis M, Domonhédo H, Pallas B, Cazemajor M, Tranbarger TJ, Morcillo F. (2020) Environmental and trophic determinism of African oil palm fruit abscission and outlook with climate change. Plant-Environment Interactions 1:17-28. https://doi.org/10.1002/pei3.10011.
  9. Tranbarger TJ, Tadeo FR. (2020) Diversity and functional dynamics of fleshy fruit abscission zones. Annual Plant Reviews. 3: 151–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119312994.apr0652.
  10. Tranbarger TJ, Domondého H, Cazemajor M, Dubreuil C, Fischer U, Morcillo F. (2019) The PIP peptide of INFLORESCENCE DEFICIENT IN ABSCISSION enhances Populus leaf and Elaeis guineensis fruit abscission. Plants 8(6):143. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants806014.
  11. Montúfar R, Louise C, Tranbarger TJ. (2018) Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés: A neglected palm from the Ecuadorian Amazon. Revista Ecuatoriana de Medicina y Ciencias Biológicas 39(1):11-18. https://doi.org/10.26807/remcb.v39i1.584
  12. Tranbarger TJ, Fooyontphanich K, Roongsattham P, Pizot M, Jantasuriyarat C, Suraninpong P, Collin M, Dussert S, Verdeil JL, Morcillo F. (2017) Transcriptome analysis of cell wall and NAC domain transcription factor genes of Elaeis guineensis: evidence for conservation of ethylene controlled fruit ripening between monocots and eudicots. Frontiers in Plant Science 8:603. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00603
  13. Tranbarger TJ, Tucker ML, Roberts JA, Meir S. (2017) Plant organ abscission: from models to crops. Frontiers in Plant Science 8:196. (doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00196)
  14. Roongsattham P, Morcillo F, Fooyontphanich K, Jantasuriyarat C, Tragoonrung S, Amblard P, Collin M, Mouille G, Verdeil JL, Tranbarger TJ. (2016) Cellular and pectin dynamics during abscission zone development and ripe fruit abscission of the monocot oil palm. Frontiers in Plant Science 7:540. (doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00540)
  15. Fooyontphanich K, Morcillo F, Amblard P, Collin M, Jantasuriyarat C, Tangphatsornruang S, Verdeil JL, Tranbarger TJ. (2016) A phenotypic test for delay of abscission and non-abscission oil palm fruit and validation by abscission marker gene expression analysis. Acta Horticulturae 1119:97-104. (doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1119.13)
  16. Stø IM, Orr R, Fooyontphanich K, Jin X, Knutsen JMB, Fischer U, Tranbarger TJ, Nordal I and Aalen RB. (2015) Conservation of the abscission signaling peptide IDA during Angiosperm evolution: withstanding genome duplications and gain and loss of the receptors HAE/HSL2. Frontiers in Plant Science 6:931. (doi: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00931)
  17. Morcillo F, Gros D, Billotte N, Ngando-Ebongue G-F, Domonhédo H, Pizot M, Cuellar T, Espeout S, Dhouib R, Bourgis F, Claverol S, Tranbarger TJ, Nouy B, Arondel V. (2013) Improving world palm oil production: identification and mapping of the lipase gene causing oil deterioration. Nature Communications 4:2160. (doi: 10.1038/ncomms3160)
  18. Dussert S, Guérin C, Joët T, Anderson M, Tranbarger TJ, Pizot M, Sara G, Omore A, Durand-Gasselin T, Morcillo F. (2013) Comparative transcriptome analysis of three oil palm tissues that differ in oil content and fatty acid composition. Plant Physiology 162(3):1337-58. (doi: 10.1104/pp.113.220525)
  19. Roongsattham P, Morcillo F, Jantasuriyarat C, Pizot M, Moussu S, Jayaweera D, Collin M, Gonzalez-Carranza ZH, Amblard P, Tregear JW, Tragoonrung S, Verdeil JL, Tranbarger TJ. (2012) Temporal and spatial expression of polygalacturonase gene family members reveals complex regulation during fleshy fruit ripening and abscission in the monocot species oil palm. BMC Plant Biology 12:150. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2229-12-150)
  20. Tranbarger TJ, Kluabmongkol W, Sangsrakru D, Morcillo F, Tregear JW, Tragoonrung S, Billotte N. (2012) SSR markers in transcripts of genes linked to post-transcriptional and transcriptional regulatory functions during vegetative and reproductive development of Elaeis guineensis. BMC Plant Biology 12(1):1. (doi: 10.1186/1471-2229-12-1)
  21. Tranbarger TJ, Dussert S, Joët T, Argout X, Summo M, Champion A, Cros D, Omore A, Nouy B, Morcillo F. (2011) Regulatory mechanisms underlying oil palm fruit mesocarp maturation, ripening and functional specialization in lipid and carotenoid metabolism. Plant Physiology 156(2):564-84. (doi: 10.1104/pp.111.175141)
  22. Lin H-C, Morcillo F, Dussert S, Tranchant-Dubreuil C, Tregear JW and Tranbarger TJ. (2009) Transcriptome analysis during somatic embryogenesis of the tropical monocot Elaeis guineensis: evidence for conserved gene functions in early development. Plant Molecular Biology. 70:173-92. (doi: 10.1007/s11103-009-9464-3)

Updated 11/08/2022