Abstract
BackgroundTapping panel dryness (TPD) is one of the most serious threats to natural rubber production. Although a great deal of effort has been made to study TPD in rubber tree, the molecular mechanisms underlying TPD remain poorly understood. Identification and systematical analyses of the genes associated with TPD are the prerequisites for elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in TPD. The present study is undertaken to generate information about the genes related to TPD in rubber tree.ResultsTo identify the genes related to TPD in rubber tree, forward and reverse cDNA libraries from the latex of healthy and TPD trees were constructed using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method. Among the 1106 clones obtained from the two cDNA libraries, 822 clones showed differential expression in two libraries by reverse Northern blot analyses. Sequence analyses indicated that the 822 clones represented 237 unique genes; and most of them have not been reported to be associated with TPD in rubber tree. The expression patterns of 20 differentially expressed genes were further investigated to validate the SSH data by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR analysis. According to the Gene Ontology convention, 237 unique genes were classified into 10 functional groups, such as stress/defense response, protein metabolism, transcription and post-transcription, rubber biosynthesis, etc. Among the genes with known function, the genes preferentially expressed were associated with stress/defense response in the reverse library, whereas metabolism and energy in the forward one.ConclusionsThe genes associated with TPD were identified by SSH method in this research. Systematic analyses of the genes related to TPD suggest that the production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS), ubiquitin proteasome pathway, programmed cell death and rubber biosynthesis might play important roles in TPD. Therefore, our results not only enrich information about the genes related to TPD, but also provide new insights into understanding the TPD process in rubber tree.
Highlights
Tapping panel dryness (TPD) is one of the most serious threats to natural rubber production
The elite clone (RY8-79) with ethylene stimulation was selected as experimental material; the latex has been harvested from these trees for the past 11 years (Figure 1A)
Altogether, the genes associated with TPD were identified and their characterizations were further analyzed in the paper
Summary
Tapping panel dryness (TPD) is one of the most serious threats to natural rubber production. A great deal of effort has been made to study TPD in rubber tree, the molecular mechanisms underlying TPD remain poorly understood. The present study is undertaken to generate information about the genes related to TPD in rubber tree. Arg.) is a perennial tropical tree for the production of natural rubber (NR). At least 2000 plant species are recognized for producing latex, but the rubber tree is the only economically viable source of NR. Latex production still faces serious economic losses caused by TPD. There are no effective measures to prevent or treat TPD in rubber tree. It was estimated that the losses due to TPD accounted to 12-14% of the annual rubber production [1]
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