The transcriptomes of columnar and standard type apple trees (Malus x domestica) - a comparative study

Columnar apple trees (Malus x domestica) provide several economic advantages due to their specific growth habit. The columnar phenotype is the result of the dominant allele of the gene Co and is characterized by thick stems with short internodes and reduced lateral branching. Co is located on chromosome 10 and often appears in a heterozygous state (Co/co). The molecular explanation of columnar growth is not well established. Therefore, we studied the transcriptomes of columnar and standard type apple trees using 454 and Illumina next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. We analyzed the transcriptomes of shoot apical meristems (SAMs) because we expect that these organs are involved in forming the columnar growth phenotype. The results of the comparative transcriptome analysis show significant differences in expression levels of hundreds of genes. Many of the differentially expressed genes are associated with membrane and cell wall growth or modification and can be brought in line with the columnar phenotype. Additionally, earlier findings on the hormonal state of shoots of columnar apples could be affirmed. Our study resulted in a large number of genes differentially expressed in columnar vs. standard type apple tree SAMs. Although we have not unraveled the nature of the Co gene, we could show that the modified expression of these genes, most likely due to the presence of Co, can determine the columnar phenotype. Furthermore, the usefulness of NGS for the analysis of the molecular basis of complex phenotypes is discussed.