橡胶草是菊科蒲公英属多年生草本植物，其根中乳管细胞能合成并积累天然橡胶。橡胶草的乳管数量与其天然橡胶产量成正相关，是一个重要的农艺性状，但目前对其乳管分化机制了解的还很少。我们前期筛选到一个综合性状优良的橡胶草野生品系，并利用该品系完成了橡胶草的基因组组装。目前，我们已建立了高效的橡胶草根癌农杆菌遗传转化体系，构建了该品系的SARE(Sense/antisense RNA expression)突变体库，并从中筛选到一份乳管细胞增多的突变体b318。本项目拟利用该突变体克隆能够引起乳管细胞增多的基因，并探究该基因调控乳管细胞分化的分子机制。本项目的开展将为深入了解乳管细胞分化的分子机制，培育高产橡胶草新品种提供理论依据。

Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS), a perennial herb of the Taraxacum genus in Asteraceae family, produces high quality natural rubber in roots. The number of laticifer cells is a key agronomical trait influencing natural rubber yield. However, the mechanisms underlying the development and differentiation of laticifer cells remain largely unknown. Recently, we selected a wild TKS line with excellent traits for de novo genome sequencing and assembly. The draft genome sequence provides new insights into TKS functional genomics research. More importantly, we also developed an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system and a SARE (Sense/antisense RNA expression) mutant library through genetic transformation. From this mutant library we screened a mutant, b318, which has more laticifer cells in root. In this project, we propose to clone and identify the mutated gene responsible for the phenotypes of this mutant, and further functionally investigate which genes could be interacted with this gene and affect the differentiation of laticifer cells. These results will provide valuable resources and new insights into the mechanism of laticifer differentiation, and facilitate to develop high-content natural rubber TKS through molecular breeding.