| Abstract Detail
Comparative Genomics/Transcriptomics Amee, Maurice [1], Cobo, Irene [1], Scott, Alison [2], Maher, Olivia [1], Wegrzyn, Jill [1]. Transcriptomics of seasonal leaf senescence in a deciduous conifer (Larix laricina). The majority of conifers stay evergreen throughout the year by retaining their foliage (needles). However, members of the Larix genus, known collectively as larch, are among the five conifer genera that undergo seasonal leaf senescence. This process involves a plethora of well-coordinated biochemical and molecular processes that produce observable color changes and eventual abscission of the leaf. Photoperiod and temperature are the main environmental signals that control leaf senescence in winter deciduous plants. Although this process is well characterized in angiosperms, virtually no work has been done in understanding the molecular changes involved in conifers. In this study, we collected abscission zone tissue from six Larix laricina trees across spatial and temporal scales. RNA libraries were generated for three phenotypic time points during early Autumn in a portion of the native range. The sampling was guided by needle coloration and presence (green, yellow, and early stage of loss). From the short reads generated by Illumina sequencing, a differential expression (DE) study examined changes during needle senescence via a de novo transcriptome assembly. The DE genes were examined in terms of functional enrichment and their associated pathways to characterize the conserved and novel molecular mechanisms.
1 - University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutiionary Biology, 67 N. Eagleville Road, storrs, CT, 06269, United States
2 - Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Dept. of Chromosome Biology, Carl-von-linne-weg 10, Köln, NRW, 50829, Germany
Keywords:
comparative transcriptomics
seasonal senescence
RNA-Seq
conifer
differential gene expression.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: CGT1003
Abstract ID:845
Candidate for Awards:None |
