Abstract
EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR1 (EPF1) is a well characterized negative regulator of cell division in
Arabidopsis thaliana (A
tEPF1) where the primary region of localization is the leaf. However, little data have been reported on the role of EPF1 in other plant species. In this study, the
EPF1 gene from
Arabidopsis and the newly identified poplar ortholog from
Populus trichocarpa (
PtaEPF1) were overexpressed in a hybrid poplar genotype. We attempted to identify the physiological role of
PtaEPF1. Gene overexpression experiments were performed to determine if and how stomatal density (SD) numbers were affected. The poplar 717-1B4 (
P. tremula × P. alba) genotype was used in the study. Results presented here suggest that overexpression of
PtatEPF1 in poplar led to significantly altered SD and also affected transgenic water stress tolerance. Overexpression of A
tEPF1 in 717-1B4 led to the most dramatic decrease in SD while overexpression of
PtaEPF1 in 717-1B4 significantly increased SD in several transgenic lines, an indication that EPF1 may have additional functions in poplar. Also, abnormalities in leaf morphology were discovered that indicated overexpression of A
tEPF1 or
PtaEPF1 in poplar triggered aberrant phenotypes not seen in other published
Arabidopsis studies, an indication of additional pathway involvement.
Keywords
stomatal density,
tree physiology,
poplar,
transgenics
Citation
Lawson, Shaneka S.; Pijut, Paula M.; Michler, Charles H. 2014. The cloning and characterization of a poplar stomatal density gene. Genes & Genomics. 36(4): 427-441.
