Poster: Cell Walls

Abs # 1264: Global gene expression during tension wood formation

Presenter:	Andersson Gunnerås, Sara , sara.andersson@genfys.slu.se
Authors	Andersson Gunnerås, Sara  (A)   Hertzberg, M.  (A)   Ohmiya, Y.  (B)   Deleury, E.  (D)   Mellerowicz, E.  (A)   Henrissat, B.  (D)   Nilsson, P.  (C)   Sundberg, B.  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Umeå Plant Science Centre, Dept of Forest Genetics & Plant Physiology (B): Forest Tree Breeding Center (C): Department of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) (D): AFMB UMR 6098, CNRS-Universités Aix-Marseille I et II

Tension wood can frequently be observed on one side of stems or branches that have been displaced by wind or a load of some kind. Tension wood formation is associated with increased growth rate and the development of fibers with high cellulose content. Moreover, the number and diameter of vessels are reduced The molecular mechanism regulating these responses is poorly understood. Plant growth regulators such as auxin and ethylene have been implicated in tension wood formation, but their exact role is not understood. To obtain a more complete picture of the molecular events occurring during tension wood formation, 5.200 ESTs were sequenced from a tension wood cDNA library and global gene expression was carried out during a time course of tension wood formation. The array analysis used a poplar array containing 13.000 cDNAs. Changes in transcripts related to ethylene and to cell wall biosynthesis throughout the time course of tension wood formation will be discussed.