Abstract:

Wood formation is unique biological process in woody plants. However, Arabidopsis thaliana can also develop certain amount of "wood tissues" under the appropriate induced conditions. Since its rich online genetic resources and information are available, A. thaliana could serve as a model used to study wood formation. Using the previously established platform of regeneration of secondary vascular system in poplar, gene expression profiles were analyzed through the Arabidopsis cDNA microarray. One hundred and forty-nine genes showed transcript-level differences at the different regeneration stages. Eighty-nine genes, including transcriptional factors and function unknown genes, were selected as candidates for investigating Arabidopsis mutants under the induced secondary growth condition to check their morphology and structure. The results showed that 20 mutants had low germination or survival rates, while 10 mutants had various morphological and anatomical changes caused through the inhibition of the secondary vascular development in these mutants. These changes suggested that these genes would be involved in the regulation of secondary growth in A. thaliana . In this study, woody and herbaceous plants experimental systems were combined to preliminarily study the gene functions related to wood formation by referring to the secondary growth in A. thaliana. This study would provide a feasible and effective, rapid analysis method to screen genes related to wood formation.

Key words: wood formation, Arabidopsis thaliana, mutant, secondary growth, gene