Functional characterization of a putative European hazelnut 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 3 (NCED3) through expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Loading...
Authors
Varju, Anka Holynsky
Date
2025-07-03
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Hazelnut , Arabidopsis , Abscisic acid , NCED
Alternative Title
Abstract
European hazelnuts (Corylus avellana L.) are important for Ferrero International SpA, the second largest confectionary company in the world and the largest user of hazelnuts to create products such as Nutella®, Ferrero Rocher®, and Kinder®. Traditionally grown in Europe, especially in Turkey, hazelnuts are an emerging tree crop in North America with opportunities in Southern Ontario along the north shore of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Hazelnuts are a winter flowering tree; female and male flowers begin development in early summer and enter dormancy in late fall. While the female flowers are well adapted to local weather, the male catkins are prone to early release from dormancy and may bloom when unusually warm weather occurs in January-March. The subsequent cold temperature makes the pollen non-viable and fertilization and seed set does not occur. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is known to be involved in flower dormancy and so we explore this pathway through the analysis of an ABA biosynthetic gene. We have identified a putative hazelnut homolog of the rate-limiting step of ABA biosynthesis, 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 3 (NCED3). A putative CaNCED3 gene has been exogenously expressed in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and the impact of the overexpressed CaNCED3 on three known ABA-regulated processes have been assessed (leaf transpiration, drought tolerance, and seed dormancy). These results reveal that CaNCED3 is a true NCED and is one of the few hazelnut genes that have been functionally annotated.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.