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© Bernd Degen
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Institute of

FG Forest Genetics

Project

Marker for gender in aspen



Development of markers for sex-specific genes of poplars to be used alternately for the establishment of sterilities

The majority of the higher plants is hermaphroditic. Thus, these plants are carrying flowers with male and female organs. Less than 4% of the plant species, however, are dioecious. These plants carry either male (produce only pollen) or female (develop only ovums) organs. f

Background and Objective

Both genera of the family Salicaceae, Salix and Populus, are dioecious woody angiosperms. The aim of this research is to develop molecular marker for male and female plants of aspen (Populus tremula). Such markers are useful for population dynamic and –genetic questions on  the one hand. On the other hand is it important to know the gender of gene technologically modified poplar plants which are tested in large field trials.

Approach

In the investigations parents as well as the descendants of crosses between European (Populus tremula L.) and American (Populus tremuloides Michx.) aspen are used. In the mean time the progenies have reached the generative phase, thus gender determination on basis of flowers is feasible. The poplar genome is investigated using the AFLP-technique. Parents and descendants were first investigated and screened in a “bulk segregant analysis” and then individually analysed using more than 200 different enzyme-primer combinations. Nine different DNA fragments were identified co-segregating with the gender of the descendants. Three of the fragments were cloned and sequenced. Comparisons with sequences in data banks reveal sequence similarity with an EST fragment from cDNA libraries generated from poplar flowers.

Results

In the investigations parents as well as the descendants of crosses between European (Populus tremula L.) and American (Populus tremuloides Michx.) aspen are used. In the mean time the progenies have reached the generative phase, thus gender determination on basis of flowers is feasible. The poplar genome is investigated using the AFLP-technique. Parents and descendants were first investigated and screened in a -bulk segregant analysis- and then individually analysed using more than 200 differen

Funding Body

  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
    (national, öffentlich)

Duration

3.2001 - 10.2009

More Information

Project status: finished

Publications

  1. 0

    Kersten B, Pakull B, Fladung M (2017) Genomics of sex determination in dioecious trees and woody plants. Trees 31:1113-1125, DOI:10.1007/s00468-017-1525-7

  2. 1

    Fladung M, Hönicka H, Kersten B (2016) Baumblüte im ersten Jahr. Forschungsfelder

    https://literatur.thuenen.de/digbib_extern/dn057472.pdf

  3. 2

    Pakull B, Kersten B, Lüneburg J, Fladung M (2015) A simple PCR-based marker to determine sex in aspen. Plant Biol 17(1):256-261, DOI:10.1111/plb.12217

  4. 3

    Kersten B, Pakull B, Groppe K, Lüneburg J, Fladung M (2014) The sex-linked region in Populus tremuloides Turesson 141 corresponds to a pericentromeric region of about two million base pairs on P. trichocarpa chromosome 19. Plant Biol 16(2):411-418, DOI:10.1111/plb.12048

  5. 4

    Kersten B, Pakull B, Fladung M (2012) Mapping of the sex trait and sequence analysis of two linked genomic regions in Populus tremuloides. ScienceMed 3(3):203-210

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