| Abstract Detail
Reproductive Development Wang, Chieh-Ting [1], Puzey, Josh [2], Etherington, Elizabeth [2], Page, Grier [3], Brunner, Amy [4]. Functional Genomics of Flowering in Populus. Current knowledge about molecular basis of the transition to flowering comes mainly from studies of the annual model plant, Arabidopsis. Studies have begun to reveal that genes controlling flowering in trees have additional functions related to the woody perennial growth habit. A poplar ortholog of FT not only promotes flowering, but also regulates short-day induced growth cessation and bud set in Populus (Böhlenius et al. 2006). We are studying flowering in poplar by combining functional gene analysis via overexpression and RNAi-mediated suppression and genome-wide microarray analysis of wild-type and transgenic trees. One of the genes we are studying is poplar CENTRORADIALIS LIKE1 (PtCENL1), a homolog of the TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) gene in Arabidopsis that controls shoot meristem identity and delays flowering. Previous study showed that RNAi suppression of PtCENL1 induced earlier and more intense flowering in field-grown poplars (Mohamed et al. 2007). In 35S::PtCENL-1 poplars, transgene expression level was positively correlated with delayed spring bud flush indicating that PtCENL-1 delays the onset of flowering and also affects shoot phenology in poplar. Moreover, RNAi and overexpression transgenics display contrasting differences in shoot architecture, specifically the relative proportions of long versus short branches and the degree of secondary branching. Results of microarray studies comparing PtCENL-1 overexpression and RNAi transgenics and wild-type control trees will also be presented.
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1 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Forestry, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA
2 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Forestry
3 - University of Alabama, Department of Biostatistics
4 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Forestry
Keywords:
flowering
Populus
microarray
PtCENL1
Functional genomics.
Presentation Type: Plant Biology Abstract
Session: P
Location: Exhibit Hall (Northeast, Southwest & Southeast)/Hilton
Date: Sunday, July 8th, 2007
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: P28041
Abstract ID:1507 |
