Identification of genes preferentially expressed during wood formation in Eucalyptus

Abstract

Wood is the most abundant biological resource on earth and it is also an important raw material for a major global industry with rapidly increasing demand. The genus Eucalyptus includes the most widely used tree species for industrial plantation, mainly for making pulp and paper. With the aim of identifying major genes involved in wood formation in Eucalyptus , we have developed a targeted approach of functional genomics based on the isolation of xylem preferentially expressed genes by subtractive PCR. Transcript profiling using cDNA arrays and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to identify differentially expressed ESTs between secondary xylem and leaves. Real-time RT-PCR was performed to confirm the differential expression of representative EST. Of 224 independent EST sequences obtained, 81% were preferentially expressed in xylem. One-third of the ESTs exhibiting homologies with proteins of known function fell into two main classes highlighting the importance of the auxin signalling through ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis on one hand, and of the enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis and remodelling, on the other. The functions of the genes represented by the remaining 61% of ESTs should be of great interest for future research. This systematic analysis of genes involved in wood formation in Eucalyptus provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in secondary xylem differentiation as well as new candidate-genes for wood quality improvement.

A micromethod for high throughput RNA extraction in forest trees

“…This result emphasizes that the CTAB protocol is the most efficient technique to extract RNA from forest trees. Moreover this protocol was widely used by researchers working with forest trees like eucalyptus (Paux et al 2004), oak (Derory et al, 2006), poplar (Bhalerao et al, 2003) and pine . On the other hand, the analyses of progenies or transcript studies from massive numbers of individuals are limited because extraction procedure is time-consuming.…”

Natural Hypolignification Is Associated with Extensive Oligolignol Accumulation in Flax Stems

“…Similarly, transcripts for four bZIP genes were more abundant in stem inner tissues. Members of this TF family are expressed during stem development and secondary vascular tissue formation in Arabidopsis, Eucalyptus, and poplar (Paux et al, 2004;Ehting et al, 2005;Dharmawardhana et al, 2010). Other differentially regulated TF genes included two bHLH, four WRKY, and four LIM genes.…”

Crescimento e eficiência no uso da água por clones de eucalipto sob doses de potássio

“…Esse crescimento secundário é importante para o desenvolvimento das árvores, assegurando suas vidas perenes a partir da renovação do xilema e floema funcionais (PAUX et al, 2004). Dinardi (2014), estudando a viabilidade técnica e econômica de povoamentos de eucalipto sob diferentes espaçamentos para a produção de biomassa no município de Borebi-SP, encontrou um DAP médio de 9,7 cm para clones de…”