Poplar has many advantages as a tree model for woody plant biology. These include rapid and perennial growth, moderate genome size, biomass-related traits and relatively easy transformation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying secondary wall formation remain elusive in poplar. Energy Plant Group in Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-QIBEBT) has firstly reported the molecular mechanism of PdC3H17 and PdC3H18 regulating secondary wall formation in poplar and Arabidopsis. This work was published in New Phytologist (Chai, et al, New Phytologist, 2014).  

Before this, the research team has revealed poplar PdC3H17 and PdC3H18 are specifically expressed in stems, suggesting they may be involved in secondary wall formation (Chai, et al, BMC Genomics, 2012). In this new work, Dr. CHAI Guohua and co-workers further explored the molecular mechanism of PdC3H17 and PdC3H18 regulating secondary wall formation. They used multiple methods, including electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and transgene, to demonstrate that PdC3H17 and PdC3H18 are direct targets of PdMYB3 and PdMYB21, and promote stem cambium activity and positively regulate secondary wall formation. The results in this project will provide the theoretical basis for genetic engineering tree secondary cell walls.  

This work was led by Prof. ZHOU Gongke and granted by National Science and Technology Support Program, the National Basic Research Program of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.  

Reference:  

Chai, G., Qi, G., Cao,Y., Wang, Z., Yu, L., Tang, X., Yu, Y., Wang, D., Kong, Y., Zhou, G. (2014) Poplar PdC3H17 and PdC3H18 are direct targets of PdMYB3 and PdMYB21, and positively regulate secondary wall formation in Arabidopsis and poplar, New Phytologist

Contact:  

Prof. ZHOU Gongke 
Energy Plant Group, Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences 
E-mail: Zhougk (AT) qibebt.ac.cn