Qu-2, a robust poplar suspension cell line for molecular biology

Abstract

Populus spp. have long been used as model woody plant species for molecular biology research. However, tissues of poplar are often recalcitrant to experimental procedures for molecular studies. We generated a hormone autotrophic poplar suspension cell line from a hybrid of Populus alba × P. berolinensis ‘Yinzhong’, named Qu-2. Qu-2 cells are suitable as a model biological system for studying woody plants. Qu-2 cells have many advantages over suspension cell lines derived so far from any other woody plants. Qu-2 cells are very easy to cultivate and can grow on several common plant culture media without the addition of any plant hormone. They show exceptionally high growth rates, reaching an approximately 150-fold increase in biomass after one week of culturing. Another important unique characteristic of Qu-2 cells is that they can be cryopreserved and readily reactivated. Qu-2 cells are suitable for molecular manipulations such as protoplast production, transient transformation, and RNA-seq analysis. Therefore, Qu-2 cells have the great potential to be an excellent model cell line in tree molecular biological research, ranging from physiology to gene function. The Qu-2 cells will be made available to the plant community for research.