Opuntia streptacantha cultivar:Nopal cardon Transcriptome or Gene expression

The earth's climate is rapidly changing and is reflected in unexpected weather patterns, increasing temperatures and the scarcity of fresh water. The warmer temperatures and drought are compromising the survival of many plant populations. In semi-arid and arid areas where extreme temperatures, water, and nutrient limitations exist, CAM plants like Nopal (Opuntia sp.) have evolved to adapt to adverse environmental conditions. Thus these cacti may hold some key answers to the tolerance of plants to current and future climatic conditions like temperature extremes. Opuntia, is endemic to Mexico, and has several adaptations that allow it to be successful in arid and semi-arid environments. These plants are exposed to high solar radiation and often face extreme temperatures that range from 0 °C to above 50 °C. This project aims to characterize the molecular and ecophysiological responses of Opuntia streptacantha plants under abiotic temperature stress. Ecophysiological evaluations will be performed to determine the physiological adaptations of Opuntia for tolerating extreme temperatures. Transcriptome sequencing using Illumina RNA-Seq technology will be used to discover genes that are expressed in response to temperature stress. This project will expand our knowledge about the physiological and molecular mechanisms of temperature tolerance in Opuntia plants.