Huang Lei, Zeng Yajun, Yang Shikai, Zhou Hua, Xu Jiajuan, Zhou Yunchao, Wang Gang
Research Center of Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
Guizhou Academy of Forestry, Guiyang, 550005, China.
Heliyon. 2023 Mar 24;9(4):e14861. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14861. eCollection 2023 Apr.
Forests are crucial sustainable sources of natural ecosystems and contribute to human welfare. (Chinese fir) is an economically important conifer and occupies the largest area in China that produces global wood resources. Although Chinese fir has high economic value in China, little information is known regarding its mechanisms of wood formation. Therefore, transcriptome analysis was conducted to study the gene expression patterns and associated timber formation mechanisms in Chinese fir at different stand ages. In the present study, a total of 837,156 unigenes were identified in 84 samples from Chinese fir (pith and root) at different stand ages via RNA-Seq. Among them, most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enrichment in plant hormone signal transduction, flavonoid metabolism pathway, starch and sucrose metabolism, and MAPK signal transduction pathway, which might be associated with the diameter formation in Chinese fir. The DEGs in these pathways were analyzed in Chinese fir and were related to lignin synthesis, cell wall formation and cell wall reinforcement/thickening. These genes might play an important role in regulating timber formation/growth in Chinese fir. In addition, certain transcriptome factors (TFs) related to Chinese fir timber formation were identified, including WRKY33, WRKY22, PYR/PYL, and MYC2. Weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that glucan endo-1,3-beta-d-glucosidase was a hub gene significantly correlated with the growth-related genes in Chinese fir. Sixteen key genes that related to diameter regulation in Chinese fir were verified by qRT-PCR analysis. These key genes might have a fine regulatory role in timber formation in Chinese fir. Our results pave the way for research on the regulatory mechanisms of wood formation, and provide an insight for improving the quality production of Chinese fir.
森林是自然生态系统至关重要的可持续资源，对人类福祉做出贡献。杉木是一种具有重要经济价值的针叶树，在中国生产全球木材资源的面积最大。尽管杉木在中国具有很高的经济价值，但关于其木材形成机制的信息却知之甚少。因此，进行了转录组分析，以研究不同林龄杉木的基因表达模式和相关的木材形成机制。在本研究中，通过RNA-Seq在不同林龄杉木（髓心和根）的84个样本中总共鉴定出837,156个单基因。其中，大多数差异表达基因（DEGs）在植物激素信号转导、类黄酮代谢途径、淀粉和蔗糖代谢以及MAPK信号转导途径中显著富集，这可能与杉木的直径形成有关。对杉木中这些途径中的DEGs进行了分析，它们与木质素合成、细胞壁形成和细胞壁强化/加厚有关。这些基因可能在调节杉木木材形成/生长中发挥重要作用。此外，还鉴定了一些与杉木木材形成相关的转录因子（TFs），包括WRKY33、WRKY22、PYR/PYL和MYC2。加权共表达网络分析（WGCNA）表明，葡聚糖内切-1,3-β-D-葡糖苷酶是与杉木生长相关基因显著相关的枢纽基因。通过qRT-PCR分析验证了16个与杉木直径调节相关的关键基因。这些关键基因可能对杉木木材形成具有精细的调节作用。我们的结果为木材形成调控机制的研究铺平了道路，并为提高杉木的优质生产提供了见解。
