Genetic dissection of vascular differentiation in arabidopsis and poplar

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The prime objective of the project is to identify a large number of genes that are involved in vascular differentiation and wood formation with the long-term vision of using the identified genes to improve fiber and wood traits in economically important species. In line with the previous discovery grant proposal, we have successfully identified a large number of genes with potential functions in vascular differentiation and function. We used a microarray-based screen for differential gene expression in normal organs versus organs with pharmacologically induced vascular hypertrophy in Arabidopsis. Here, we propose to evaluate the functions of identified genes by loss- and gain-of function mutants and also to expand our material considerably by carrying out a similar screen for genes in the tree species Populus trichocarpa. A trans national effort, including a strong Canadian component, recently led to the conclusion of the sequencing of the P. trichocarpa genome. The annotation of more than 45000 genes in this genome is now available, as are resources such as P. trichocarpa genome chips and microarrays. Thus, we have a timely opportunity to capitalize from this huge investment and apply our tested reverse genetics approach to identify genes involved in secondary vascular differentiation associated with wood formation. The project consists of three levels: 1) gene identification by DNA chip technology, 2) large-scale evaluation of potential vascular expression by whole-mount in situ hybridization, and 3) assessment of gene function by boost of endogenous gene expression in transgenic poplar and Arabidopsis plants.