Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Candidate Genes and Pathways for Potential Branch Growth in Elm ( Ulmus pumila ) Cultivars

Wood plays a vital role in human life. It is important to study the thickening mechanism of tree branches and explore the mechanism of wood formation. Elm ( ) is a strong essential wood, and it is widely used in cabinets, sculptures, and ship making. In the present study, phenotypic and comparative...

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Published in:Biology (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-05, Vol.11 (5), p.711
Main Authors: Zhang, Luoyan, Xie, Shaoqiu, Yang, Cheng, Cao, Dongling, Fan, Shoujin, Zhang, Xuejie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biosynthesis
branch thickening
Branches
Catalytic subunits
Cell division
Cell walls
Cellulose
Cellulose synthase
comparative transcriptome
Cultivars
Gene regulation
Germplasm
Hardwoods
Lignin
Manufacturers
Stem cells
Transcription
Transcription factors
Transcriptomes
Transcriptomics
Trees
Ulmus pumila
Xylan
xylan synthesis
Xylem
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Summary:Wood plays a vital role in human life. It is important to study the thickening mechanism of tree branches and explore the mechanism of wood formation. Elm ( ) is a strong essential wood, and it is widely used in cabinets, sculptures, and ship making. In the present study, phenotypic and comparative transcriptomic analyses were performed in fast- (UGu17 and UZuantian) and slow-growing cultivars (U81-07 and U82-39). Phenotypic observation showed that the thickness of secondary xylem of 2-year-old fast-growing branches was greater compared with slow-growing cultivars. A total of 9367 (up = 4363, down = 5004), 7159 (3413/3746), 7436 (3566/3870), and 5707 (2719/2988) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between fast- and slow-growing cultivars. Moreover, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses predicted that many pathways were involved in vascular development and transcriptional regulation in elm, such as "plant-type secondary cell wall biogenesis", "cell wall thickening", and "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis". NAC domain transcriptional factors (TFs) and their master regulators ( / ), cellulose synthase catalytic subunits (CESAs) (such as / / ), xylan synthesis, and secondary wall thickness (such as / / ) were supposed to function in the thickening mechanism of elm branches. Our results indicated that the general phenylpropanoid pathway (such as / / ) and lignin metabolism (such as / / / / ) had vital functions in the growth of elm branches. Our transcriptome data were consistent with molecular results for branch thickening in elm cultivars.
ISSN:2079-7737
2079-7737
DOI:10.3390/biology11050711