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Identifying Genes Associated with Female Flower Development of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. Using a Transcriptomics
Lihong He1, Yongfang Fan1, Zhao Zhang1
1Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China.
Genes
|March 29, 2023
Summary
Epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, influences sex determination in the medicinal plant Phellodendron amurense. Demethylation treatment induced female flowers, revealing key genes involved in sexual development.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Epigenetics
- Medicinal botany
Background:
- Phellodendron amurense is a valuable, protected medicinal plant.
- It is typically dioecious, but monoecious individuals exist.
- The epigenetic regulation of its sex development is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of DNA methylation in Phellodendron amurense sex determination.
- To identify candidate genes involved in female flower development.
Main Methods:
- Treatment of male Phellodendron amurense inflorescences with 5-azaC (a demethylation agent).
- Morphological and transcriptomic analysis of induced female flowers.
- Comparative transcriptome analysis between male and female flowers.
- Identification of candidate sex-related genes.
Main Results:
- Demethylation treatment successfully induced female flowers.
- Induced female flowers showed functional and transcriptomic similarities to natural female flowers.
- 188 candidate genes associated with female flower development were identified.
- Key genes like RPP0W, PAL3, MCM2, MCM6, SUP, PIN1, AINTEGUMENTA, AINTEGUMENTA-LIKE6, AGL11, SEUSS, SHI-RELATED SEQUENCE 5, and ESR2 were preliminarily identified.
Conclusions:
- Epigenetics, particularly DNA methylation, plays a role in Phellodendron amurense sex regulation.
- This study provides candidate genes crucial for understanding Phellodendron amurense sexual differentiation.
- Findings contribute to the broader understanding of plant sex determination mechanisms.
Keywords:
DNA methylationPhellodendron amurenseepigeneticsfemale flower developmentplant sex differentiationsex-related genestranscriptomeMore Related Videos
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