TY - JOUR
T1 - Epigenetic stability in Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) accessions during four consecutive years of cultivation and vegetative propagation under open field conditions
AU - Busconi, Matteo
AU - Soffritti, Giovanna
AU - Stagnati, Lorenzo
AU - Marocco, Adriano
AU - Marcos Martínez, Javier
AU - De Los Mozos Pascual, Marcelino
AU - Fernandez, José Antonio
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a sterile species that is vegetatively propagated in the field, year by year, via the
production of new corms. While Saffron’s genetic variability is extremely low, phenotypic variation is frequently
observed in the field and epigenetics could be a possible origin of these alternative phenotypes. Present day
knowledge on Saffron epigenetics is very low or absent. In the present paper, to deepen existing knowledge, we
focused on the epigenetic differences and stability among 17 Saffron accessions, of different geographic origin,
during four consecutive years of vegetative propagation under open field conditions. Before the analysis, the
selected accessions have been cultivated in the same field for at least three consecutive years. Despite the low
genetic variability and the prolonged co-cultivation in the same environment, Methylation-Sensitive Amplified
Fragment Length Polymorphism (MS-AFLP) analysis revealed a very high epigenetic difference among accessions,
making it possible to discriminate them based on the epigenetic profiles. During the four years of the
study, a little variation has been observed within accessions following different patterns, slightly modifying the
accession epigenotypes but not enough to even them to a more uniform profile. These results confirm that, under
natural conditions, Saffron epigenotypes are highly stable, supporting a role for epigenetics in phenotypic
variability.
AB - Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a sterile species that is vegetatively propagated in the field, year by year, via the
production of new corms. While Saffron’s genetic variability is extremely low, phenotypic variation is frequently
observed in the field and epigenetics could be a possible origin of these alternative phenotypes. Present day
knowledge on Saffron epigenetics is very low or absent. In the present paper, to deepen existing knowledge, we
focused on the epigenetic differences and stability among 17 Saffron accessions, of different geographic origin,
during four consecutive years of vegetative propagation under open field conditions. Before the analysis, the
selected accessions have been cultivated in the same field for at least three consecutive years. Despite the low
genetic variability and the prolonged co-cultivation in the same environment, Methylation-Sensitive Amplified
Fragment Length Polymorphism (MS-AFLP) analysis revealed a very high epigenetic difference among accessions,
making it possible to discriminate them based on the epigenetic profiles. During the four years of the
study, a little variation has been observed within accessions following different patterns, slightly modifying the
accession epigenotypes but not enough to even them to a more uniform profile. These results confirm that, under
natural conditions, Saffron epigenotypes are highly stable, supporting a role for epigenetics in phenotypic
variability.
KW - Crocus sativus
KW - Epigenetic stability
KW - Epigenetics
KW - MS-AFLP
KW - Crocus sativus
KW - Epigenetic stability
KW - Epigenetics
KW - MS-AFLP
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/130616
UR - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/plant-science/
U2 - 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.09.005
DO - 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.09.005
M3 - Article
SN - 0168-9452
VL - 277
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Plant Science
JF - Plant Science
ER -