Valdeir Moreira, a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. Fatima Grossi, presented his research entitled “GmGLP10-overexpressing transgenic plants trigger defense responses in Meloidogyne incognita-induced giant cells by upregulation of H2O2-sensitive genes.”
On this occasion, Valdeir Moreira provided more detailed insights into recent advances regarding the role of the Germin-like protein 10 (GmGLP10) gene in plant resistance to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. In addition to the antinematode activity already validated in planta and forming the basis of an upcoming scientific article, he also presented preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of a repressive cis-regulatory element in the promoter region of GmGLP10 in the commercial soybean cultivar BRS 133.
The research team suspects that this regulatory element may inhibit gene expression in susceptible genotypes. As a future perspective, they propose using the CRISPR-Cas9 system to delete this repressive motif, potentially enhancing GmGLP10 expression and resistance in elite cultivars.
The IX SBGMP also enabled Valdeir to initiate a new international collaboration with Dr. Martin Crespi, from the Institute of Plant Sciences in Paris, France, with the aim of further validating this hypothesis through functional assays.