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Influence of over-expression of the FLOWERING PROMOTING FACTOR 1 gene (FPF1) from Arabidopsis on wood formation in hybrid poplar (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.)

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Abstract

Constitutive expression of the FPF1 gene in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) showed a strong effect on wood formation but no effect on flowering time. Gene expression studies showed that activity of flowering time genes PtFT1, PtCO2, and PtFUL was not increased in FPF1 transgenic plants. However, the SOC1/TM3 class gene PTM5, which has been related to wood formation and flowering time, showed a strong activity in stems of all transgenic lines studied. Wood density was lower in transgenic plants, despite significantly reduced vessel frequency which was overcompensated by thinner fibre cell walls. Chemical screening of the wood by pyrolysis GC/MS showed that FPF1 transgenics have higher fractions of cellulose and glucomannan products as well as lower lignin content. The latter observation was confirmed by UV microspectrophotometry on a cellular level. Topochemical lignin distribution revealed a slower increase of lignin incorporation in the developing xylem of the transgenics when compared with the wild-type plants. In line with the reduced wood density, micromechanical wood properties such as stiffness and ultimate stress were also significantly reduced in all transgenic lines. Thus, we provide evidence that FPF1 class genes may play a regulatory role in both wood formation and flowering in poplar.

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Abbreviations

DIG:

Digoxigenine

Ef1a :

Elongation Factor 1 Alpha

FT :

Flowering Locus T

FTi:

Flowering time

FDR:

Fisher’s discriminant ratio

FPF1 :

Flowering Promoting Factor 1

LFY :

Leafy

PCA:

Principle component analysis

PtCO2 :

CONSTANS paralogous gene

PtFT1 :

Flowering Locus T paralogous gene

PtFUL :

FRUITFULL homologous gene

PTLF :

Leafy homologous gene

PTM5 :

Poplar MADS-box gene

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant to MF by the German Ministry of Education and Research. We thank Olaf Polak, Susann Weichold and Gabriele Wienskol for helpful technical assistance in the lab, and greenhouse staff (Matthias Hunger, Gundel Wiemann, Monika Spauszus) for plant cultivation.

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  1. Siegbert Melzer

    Present address: Plant Breeding Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, 24118, Kiel, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI), Institute of Forest Genetics, Sieker Landstr. 2, 22927, Grosshansdorf, Germany

    Hans Hoenicka, Denise Lehnhardt & Matthias Fladung

  2. Zentrum Holzwirtschaft der Universität Hamburg, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute (vTI), Leuschnerstr. 91, 21031, Hamburg, Germany

    Silke Lautner, Andreas Klingberg, Gerald Koch, Jürgen Odermatt & Jörg Fromm

  3. Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez-Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Fadia El-Sherif

  4. Laboratory of Plant Systematics, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, Leuven, Belgium

    Siegbert Melzer

  5. Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424, Potsdam, Germany

    Bo Zhang & Ingo Burgert

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  1. Hans Hoenicka
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Correspondence to Matthias Fladung.

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H. Hoenicka and S. Lautner contributed equally to this work.

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Hoenicka, H., Lautner, S., Klingberg, A. et al. Influence of over-expression of the FLOWERING PROMOTING FACTOR 1 gene (FPF1) from Arabidopsis on wood formation in hybrid poplar (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.). Planta 235, 359–373 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-011-1507-8

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