Current Research Description:

Wood is a valuable, renewable resource for lumber, paper and energy production. However to sustain the growing need for wood products while maintaining natural environments, advances in wood production and utilization must be made. At the same time, selective breeding programs have been inhibited by the long juvenile periods found in most tree species, and it is not currently known if the factors controlling flower development in tree species are wholly the same as those found in herbaceious species. While the understanding of tree development has been the focus of much research, there is very little information about the regulatory genes that control the development and differentiation of tree floral tissues or woody vascular tissues. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve the knowledge behind the factors controlling and coordinating the complex processes of tree development.

MADS-box genes are homeotic genes that control the development of plant tissues as diverse as flowers and root nodules in a wide variety of species including trees. This potentially makes them very useful as tools for understanding wood development. Our lab has obtained data demonstrating the specific expression of a variety of MADS-box genes in developing floral and woody tissues of aspen trees. Some of these MADS-box genes have specific expression patterns that suggest they are critical in controlling the development of primary vascular tissues and spring wood formation. The primary objective of our lab is to improve wood quality and production in trees by developing an understanding of the function of MADS-box genes in floral and vascular development. To this end, we make use of a variety of modern molecular biology techniques including RNA in situ hybridization in tree tissues, yeast two-hybrid analysis of MADS-box interactions, and micro/macroarray analysis to determine the global gene effects resulting from different conditions.