Submitted Abstract
Suberin has been widely investigated in the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana, the tubers of Solanum tuberosum, the bark of Quercus suber L. and more recently in the skin of russeted apples. Suberized cells are characterized by insoluble polyester suberin anchored in the primary cell wall and associated-waxes. Its biosynthesis is a complex process, which gathers multiple metabolic pathways such as lipid and phenylpropanoid metabolism and modifications of the cell wall. Despite strong efforts in the last decades to unravel and assess the function of genes involved in suberin deposition, some key milestones such as the very-long chain alpha, omega-dicarboxylic acids (VLC-DCAs or DCAs) biosynthesis and regulation remain lacunar. DCAs are crucial backbone components of suberin due to their role in the reticulation of the suberin poly-aliphatic domain (SPAD). Advances in the DCA synthesis knowledge might not only fill this gap but also shed new light onto the suberin structure, which is still under debate. Furthermore, enhanced knowledge about VLC-DCA synthesis and regulation will provide new insights for the development of new bio-based products. A recent market report estimates that the VLC-DCA market will significantly increase with main applications such as nylons and other polyamides, powder coatings, lubricants, adhesives to name a few.Recent own transcriptomics approaches employing Next Generation Sequencing has provided powerful co-expression data related to the Apple (Malus x domestica) skin suberization process and highlighted new candidates that might fulfil this gap. Several oxidoreductase genes coding fatty acid oxidase, Glucose-methanol-choline oxidoreductase and aldehyde dehydrogenase are suspected to be involved in the conversion of omega-hydroxyacids into DCAs. Few suberin biosynthesis master regulators displaying differential impacts in terms of suberin production have been found these last years. Apart from these, our previous studies in apple highlighted four transcription factors, which were tightly regulated by the MYB93 suberin master regulator and suspected to be involved in the downstream regulation of suberin biosynthesis and VLC-DCAs synthesis.The purpose of the DANTE (Dicarboxylic Acid syNThesis Elucidation) project is to investigate and validate the involvement of candidate genes in the DCAs synthesis and regulation as well as in more global aspects of suberin deposition process, using a multidisciplinary approach combining functional genomics, transcriptomics and analytical biochemistry approaches. This work aims to provide high impact outputs in terms of scientific knowledge and industrial applications.