Create your own conference schedule! Click here for full instructions

Abstract Detail



Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)

Poulsen, Travis [1], Liston, Aaron [2], Cronn, Richard [3], Hearn, David [4].

Identification of genes associated with woody growth and development in Dasiphora floribunda.

Despite the ecological and physiological importance of wood, our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underpin its development are limited to a few well characterized species (e.g. Populus and Arabidobsis). We are using next-generation RNA sequencing to identify genes that are associated with wood development in Dasiphora floribunda (Rosaceae), a secondarily woody relative of the emerging model plant Fragaria vesca. We sampled tissue from three different regions of D. floribunda stems: woody basal sections displaying secondary growth, herbaceous medial sections, and shoot apicies that were still undergoing primary growth. Following mRNA sequencing, we assembled the D. floribunda transcriptome and carried out differential expression analyses. As D. floribunda is a non-model plant and does not have a reference genome, we assembled the transcriptome de novo. De novo assembly resulted in contig lengths and basic statistics consistent with assemblies from Arabidopsis thaliana, Vitis vinifera and other members of the Rosaceae (F. vesca, Malus domestica, Prunus persica). Initial results of differential expression analyses identified 252 transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed: 203 in comparisons between the basal and medial sections and 49 when comparing basal and apical sections. Computational annotations of these transcripts support their involvement in secondary, woody growth with predicted functions including lignin biosynthesis, auxin mediation, and secondary cell wall biogenesis. These 252 candidate genes provide a starting point for future research utilizing F. vesca, leveraging its status as an emerging model organism in the Rosaceae, in order to functionally identify the phenotypic effects resulting from the knockout and overexpression of these genes.

Broader Impacts:


Log in to add this item to your schedule

1 - Towson University, Biological Sciences, 8000 York Rd., Towson, Maryland, 21252
2 - Oregon State University, Department of Botany & Plant Pathology, 2082 Cordley Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-2902, USA
3 - USDA Forest Service, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA
4 - Towson University, 8000 York Road, Towson, MD, 21252, USA

Keywords:
RNA-Seq
transcriptomics
Rosaceae
Next-generation sequencing
Non-model species.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 47
Location: Jasperwood/Riverside Hilton
Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Time: 4:15 PM
Number: 47011
Abstract ID:743
Candidate for Awards:Katherine Esau Award


Copyright © 2000-2012, Botanical Society of America. All rights reserved