Abstract
Arceuthobium (dwarf mistletoes) are hemiparasites that may cause great damage to infected trees belonging to Pinaceae and Cupressaceae. Currently, dwarf mistletoe control involves the use of the ethylene-producing product ethephon (ETH), which acts by inducing dwarf mistletoe shoot abscission. However, the process by which ETH functions is mostly unknown. Therefore, the transcriptome of the ETH-exposed plants was compared to non-exposed controls to identify genes associated with the response to ethephon. In this study, the reference transcriptome was contained 120,316 annotated unigenes, with a total of 21,764 ETH-responsive differentially expressed unigenes were identified. These ETH-associated genes clustered into 20 distinctly expressed pattern groups, providing a view of molecular events with good spatial and temporal resolution. As expected, the greatest number of unigenes with changed expression were observed at the onset of abscission, suggesting induction by ethylene. ETH also affected genes associated with shoot abscission processes including hormone biosynthesis and signaling, cell wall hydrolysis and modification, lipid transference, and more. The comprehensive transcriptome data set provides a wealth of genomic resources for dwarf mistletoe communities and contributes to a better understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanism of ethylene-caused shoots abscission.
Highlights
Conifers, found abundantly in the Northern Hemisphere, are of huge ecological and economic values and serve as key species in many other ecosystems
Studies have reported the successful use of ethephon for controlling Arceuthobium pusillum on Picea mariana in Minnesota and A. sichuanense on Picea crassifolia in Qinghai[1,3]
Our results showed that the greatest number of unigenes with changed expression was found at the onset of abscission
Summary
Found abundantly in the Northern Hemisphere, are of huge ecological and economic values and serve as key species in many other ecosystems. A main threat to conifer are parasitic flowering plants called heterotrophic plants. These plants acquire water and nutrients and establish vascular connections with the host plant. The genus Arceuthobium (Family: Viscaceae) is a clearly defined group of small (generally less than 20 cm high) flowering plants called dwarf mistletoes, and are obligate heterotrophic plants that parasitize members of Pinaceae and Cupressaceae[1,2]. They are considered to be the most evolutionarily specialized genus of the family Viscaceae. Little is known about the morphological events and molecular pathways involved in dwarf mistletoe shoot abscission after ETH application
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
