Transcriptome analysis provides insights into wood formation during larch tree aging

Berlin

2017

13 S.

Sonderdruck

40004696

Tree age affects wood formation and yield. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood, particularly at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the transcriptomic changes of the uppermost main stems of Larix kaempferi in an entire rotation period using the RNA-Seq method. In total, ∼151 million reads were obtained from the stems of 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, and 50-year-old L. kaempferi trees. Combining these with the published Illumina sequencing reads, 299,637 assembled transcripts were generated, of which 161,232 were annotated. Time series expression profiling identified 12,927 transcripts as differentially expressed genes (DEGs); function enrichment analysis of these DEGs showed that 459 gene ontology terms in the biological process category were enriched. These terms were associated with the processes of wood formation, such as cell differentiation, growth and death, and its hormonal regulation.
Keywords: Larix, Transcriptome, Age, Wood formation, Cell growth, Tracheid