`Olive Tree Transcriptome Mapping Key to Industry Efficiency - Olive Oil Times
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Olive Tree Transcriptome Mapping Key to Industry Efficiency

By Naomi Tupper
Mar. 7, 2013 10:22 UTC

Researchers from the University of JaĆ©n have colĀ­labĀ­oĀ­rated with a multi-disĀ­ciĀ­pliĀ­nary group to map the tranĀ­scripĀ­tome (the set of all RNA molĀ­eĀ­cules proĀ­duced in a popĀ­uĀ­laĀ­tion of cells) of the olive tree, a step that is hoped to improve effiĀ­ciency and reduce cost of olive proĀ­ducĀ­tion and proĀ­cessĀ­ing.

Traditional olive breedĀ­ing proĀ­grams focus on desirĀ­able traits such as a short juveĀ­nile period and oil charĀ­acĀ­terĀ­isĀ­tics, such as fatty acid comĀ­poĀ­siĀ­tion and pheĀ­noĀ­lic comĀ­pounds that are in demand in the marĀ­ketĀ­place. The strucĀ­tural form of the tree is also an imporĀ­tant conĀ­sidĀ­erĀ­aĀ­tion, with those suited to mechanĀ­iĀ­cal harĀ­vestĀ­ing the most sought after. By underĀ­standĀ­ing the molĀ­eĀ­cĀ­uĀ­lar basis of these charĀ­acĀ­terĀ­isĀ­tics, the process can be optiĀ­mized more easĀ­ily than with traĀ­diĀ­tional methĀ­ods. However, inforĀ­maĀ­tion regardĀ­ing the genetic make-up of the olive is still not readĀ­ily availĀ­able, despite the advanĀ­tages that such inforĀ­maĀ­tion conĀ­fers to the indusĀ­try, hence the new mapĀ­ping has the potenĀ­tial to facilĀ­iĀ­tate growth and develĀ­opĀ­ment of the olive secĀ­tor.

The study, which was pubĀ­lished in the jourĀ­nal DNA Research, focuses on mapĀ­ping and recordĀ­ing the tranĀ­scripĀ­tome of the olive tree, Olea europaea L, which is one of the most wideĀ­spread fruit trees in the Mediterranean basin and vital to the econĀ­omy of the region. The tranĀ­scripĀ­tome is the part of the genome which conĀ­tains the largest numĀ­ber of genes, and so proĀ­vides the greatĀ­est amount of encoded inforĀ­maĀ­tion in the total DNA of the plant. The recent study has specifĀ­iĀ­cally focused on the 80 perĀ­cent of olive genes that are related to areas that are of use to breedĀ­ers, such as fruit ripenĀ­ing, growth and when the tree starts to proĀ­duce fruit.

Olive tisĀ­sue at varĀ­iĀ­ous stages, includĀ­ing fruit, roots, leaves and seeds are anaĀ­lyzed at difĀ­ferĀ­ing times of develĀ­opĀ­ment to proĀ­vide inforĀ­maĀ­tion about gene funcĀ­tion at these difĀ­ferĀ­ent phases of develĀ­opĀ­ment. Genes that are used by cells in the difĀ­ferĀ­ent tisĀ­sues at varĀ­iĀ­ous times are anaĀ­lyzed to lead to the optiĀ­mizaĀ­tion of the process of the develĀ­opĀ­ment of the tree and fruit. Different variĀ­eties such as Picual, Arbequina and Lechin of Sevilla have been included in the analyĀ­ses.

It is hoped that the study will proĀ­vide valuĀ­able inforĀ­maĀ­tion to olive growĀ­ers and breedĀ­ers and allow projects to be develĀ­oped to obtain new and improved variĀ­eties at a low cost and with greater effiĀ­ciency than exitĀ­ing methĀ­ods. It may also serve as a probĀ­lem-solvĀ­ing device, allowĀ­ing the betĀ­ter soluĀ­tions to speĀ­cific breedĀ­ing probĀ­lems.

The new study is part of the Oleaga project, which began in 2008 with the purĀ­pose of genĀ­erĀ­atĀ­ing a genetic map of the olive. The inforĀ­maĀ­tion obtained from the project is hoped to ensure more proĀ­ducĀ­tive and profĀ­itable farmĀ­ing, as well has the proĀ­ducĀ­tion of higher qualĀ­ity oils that conĀ­fer greater health benĀ­eĀ­fits.


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