Drought tolerance mechanisms in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) investigated by physiological and transcriptomic analysis

Chickpea is a grain legume that enhances soil fertility and represents an important source of green proteins for human health. It is typically cultivated in marginal areas with limited water availability. The aim of this study was to shed light into the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance of this legume. First, the physiological response of nine stable genotype lines in control and drought-stress conditions was assessed. Two of these genotypes (Desi PI5980808 and Kabuli Flip07 318 C) showed opposite physiological responses to drought stress. Desi PI5980808 displayed a reduced chlorophyll content and an unaltered concentration of osmolytes (proline and soluble sugars) under drought stress. Kabuli Flip07 318 C did not show any reduction in photosynthesis and chlorophyll content, but a significant increase of proline and soluble sugars was observed under the drought stress. To identify genes and molecular mechanisms involved in drought tolerance, RNA-seq was performed in control conditions and after one week of drought stress in these two contrasting genotypes. The genotype with higher drought sensitivity showed more intense changes in gene expression than the genotype with less sensitivity, up-regulating genes involved in photophosphorylation process (transferases, oxygen lyases and oxidoreductases), hormones (brassinosteroids, abscisic acid and gibberellin response), solute transporters, nutrient uptake, and cell wall properties (cellulose synthases, hemicellulose synthases, poligalacturonases, pectate lyases). Small number of up-regulated genes in the genotype with lower drought sensitivity included those involved in chromatin modifications. These results will be helpful for further studies aiming at identifying genes and molecular markers to be used in breeding strategies to develop chickpea cultivars more resilient to water stress.