RT Journal Article
T1 Phellem versus xylem: genome-wide transcriptomic analysis reveals novel regulators of cork formation in cork oak
A1 Lopes, Susana
A1 Sobral, Daniel
A1 Costa, Bruno
A1 Perdiguero Jiménez, Pedro
A1 Chaves, Inês
A1 Costa, Augusta
A1 Miguel, Célia
A2 Sanna Sevanto, 
AB Cork cambium (or phellogen) is a secondary meristem responsible for the formation of phelloderm and phellem/cork, which together compose the periderm. In Quercus suber L., the phellogen is active throughout the entire life of the tree, producing a continuous and renewable outer bark of cork. To identify specific candidate genes associated with cork cambium activity and phellem differentiation, we performed a comparative transcriptomic study of Q. suber secondary growth tissues (xylem and phellogen/phellem) using RNA-seq. The present work provides a high-resolution map of all the transcripts identified in the phellogen/phellem tissues. A total of 6013 differentially expressed genes were identified, with 2875 of the transcripts being specifically enriched during the cork formation process versus secondary xylem formation. Furthermore, cork samples originating from the original phellogen ('virgin' cork) and from a traumatic phellogen ('amadia' cork) were also compared. Our results point to a shortlist of potentially relevant candidate genes regulating phellogen activity and phellem differentiation, including novel genes involved in the suberization process, as well as genes associated to ethylene and jasmonate signaling and to meristem function. The future functional characterization of some of the identified candidate genes will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cork cambium activity and phellem differentiation
PB Oxford University Press
SN 0829-318X
YR 2019
FD 2019
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97088
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97088
LA eng
NO FundingFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (IF/01168/2013 to C.M.M., the doctoral fellowships PD/BD/114359/2016 to S.T.L., DL 57/2016/CP1351/CT0003 to I.C., BioISI-UID/Multi/04046/2013).
NO Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology
DS Docta Complutense
RD 9 abr 2025