High-throughput AFLP analysis using infrared dye-labeled primers and an automated DNA sequencer

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis is currently the most powerful and efficient technique for the generation of large numbers of anonymous DNA markers in plant and animal genomes. We have developed a protocol for high-throughput AFLP analysis that allows up to 70,000 polymorphic marker genotype determinations per week on a single automated DNA sequencer. This throughput is based on multiplexed PCR amplification of AFLP fragments using two different infrared dyelabeled primer combinations. The multiplexed AFLPs are resolved on a two-dye, model 4200 LI-COR automated DNA sequencer, and the digital images are scored using semi-automated scoring software specifically designed for complex AFLP banding patterns (AFLP-Quantar). Throughput is enhanced by using high-quality genomic DNA templates obtained by a 96-well DNA isolation procedure.

Construction of an AFLP genetic map with nearly complete genome coverage in Pinus taeda

De novo construction of complete genetic linkage maps requires large mapping populations, large numbers of genetic markers, and efficient algorithms for ordering markers and evaluating order confidence. We constructed a complete genetic map of an individual loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers segregating in haploid megagametophytes and PGRI mapping software. We generated 521 polymorphic fragments from 21 AFLP primer pairs. A total of 508 fragments mapped to 12 linkage groups, which is equal to the Pinus haploid chromosome number. Bootstrap locus order matrices and recombination matrices generated by PGRI were used to select 184 framework markers that could be ordered confidently. Order support was also evaluated using log likelihood criteria in MAPMAKER. Optimal marker orders from PGRI and MAPMAKER were identical, but the implied reliability of orders differed greatly. The framework map provides nearly complete coverage of the genome, estimated at approximately 1700 cM in length using a modified estimator. This map should provide a useful framework for merging existing loblolly pine maps and adding multiallelic markers as they become available. Map coverage with dominant markers in both linkage phases will make the map useful for subsequent quantitative trait locus mapping in families derived by self-pollination.

High-efficiency Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)

Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer is the method of choice for many plant biotechnology laboratories; however, large-scale use of this organism in conifer transformation has been limited by difficult propagation of explant material, selection efficiencies and low transformation frequency. We have analyzed co-cultivation conditions and different disarmed strains of Agrobacterium to improve transformation. Additional copies of virulence genes were added to three common disarmed strains. These extra virulence genes included either a constitutively active virG or extra copies of virG and virB, both from pTiBo542. In experiments with Norway spruce, we increased transformation efficiencies 1000-fold from initial experiments where little or no transient expression was detected. Over 100 transformed lines expressing the marker gene beta-glucuronidase (GUS) were generated from rapidly dividing embryogenic suspension-cultured cells co-cultivated with Agrobacterium. GUS activity was used to monitor transient expression and to further test lines selected on kanamycin-containing medium. In loblolly pine, transient expression increased 10-fold utilizing modified Agrobacterium strains. Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer is a useful technique for large-scale generation of transgenic Norway spruce and may prove useful for other conifer species.

Analysis of xylem formation in pine by cDNA sequencing

Secondary xylem (wood) formation is likely to involve some genes expressed rarely or not at all in herbaceous plants. Moreover, environmental and developmental stimuli influence secondary xylem differentiation, producing morphological and chemical changes in wood. To increase our understanding of xylem formation, and to provide material for comparative analysis of gymnosperm and angiosperm sequences, ESTs were obtained from immature xylem of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). A total of 1,097 single-pass sequences were obtained from 5' ends of cDNAs made from gravistimulated tissue from bent trees. Cluster analysis detected 107 groups of similar sequences, ranging in size from 2 to 20 sequences. A total of 361 sequences fell into these groups, whereas 736 sequences were unique. About 55% of the pine EST sequences show similarity to previously described sequences in public databases. About 10% of the recognized genes encode factors involved in cell wall formation. Sequences similar to cell wall proteins, most known lignin biosynthetic enzymes, and several enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism were found. A number of putative regulatory proteins also are represented. Expression patterns of several of these genes were studied in various tissues and organs of pine. Sequencing novel genes expressed during xylem formation will provide a powerful means of identifying mechanisms controlling this important differentiation pathway.

Inheritance, gene expression, and lignin characterization in a mutant pine deficient in cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase

We have discovered a mutant loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in which expression of the gene encoding cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD; EC 1.1.1.195) is severely reduced. The products of CAD, cinnamyl alcohols, are the precursors of lignin, a major cell wall polymer of plant vascular tissues. Lignin composition in this mutant shows dramatic modifications, including increased incorporation of the substrate of CAD (coniferaldehyde), indicating that CAD may modulate lignin composition in pine. The recessive cad-n1 allele, which causes this phenotype, was discovered in a tree heterozygous for this mutant allele. It is inherited as a simple Mendelian locus that maps to the same genomic region as the cad locus. In mutant plants, CAD activity and abundance of cad RNA transcript are low, and free CAD substrate accumulates to a high level. The wood of the mutant is brown, whereas the wood in wild types is nearly white. The wood phenotype resembles that of brown midrib (bm) mutants and some transgenic plants in which xylem is red-brown due to a reduction in CAD activity. However, unlike transgenics with reduced CAD, the pine mutant has decreased lignin content. Wood in which the composition of lignin varies beyond previous expectations still provides vascular function and mechanical support.

Abnormal lignin in a loblolly pine mutant

Novel lignin is formed in a mutant loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) severely depleted in cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.1.1.195), which converts coniferaldehyde to coniferyl alcohol, the primary lignin precursor in pines. Dihydroconiferyl alcohol, a monomer not normally associated with the lignin biosynthetic pathway, is the major component of the mutant's lignin, accounting for approximately 30 percent (versus approximately 3 percent in normal pine) of the units. The level of aldehydes, including new 2-methoxybenzaldehydes, is also increased. The mutant pines grew normally indicating that, even within a species, extensive variations in lignin composition need not disrupt the essential functions of lignin.

4-coumarate:coenzyme a ligase from loblolly pine xylem. Isolation, characterization, and complementary DNA cloning

4-Coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL, EC 6.2.1.12) was purified from differentiating xylem of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). The pine enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 64 kD and was similar in size and kinetic properties to 4CL isolated from Norway spruce. The pine enzyme used 4-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and cinnamic acid as substrates but had no detectable activity using sinapic acid. 4CL was inhibited by naringenin and coniferin, products of phenylpropanoid metabolism. Although the lignin composition in compression wood is higher in p-hydroxyphenyl units than lignin from normal wood, there was no evidence for a different form of 4CL enzyme in differentiating xylem that was forming compression wood. cDNA clones for 4CL were obtained from a xylem expression library. The cDNA sequences matched pine xylem 4CL protein sequences and showed 60 to 66% DNA sequence identity with 4CL sequences from herbaceous angiosperms. There were two classes of cDNA obtained from pine xylem, and the genetic analysis showed that they were products of a single gene.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase from loblolly pine : purification of the enzyme and isolation of complementary DNA clones

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.5) has been purified from differentiating secondary xylem of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Native molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 280,000, with a subunit molecular weight of 74,000; isoelectric point, 5.8; and Michaelis constant for i-phenylalanine, 27 micromolar. No evidence was obtained for the existence of isoforms of the enzyme, nor for negative cooperativity of substrate binding. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase subunit and used to identify a pal clone in an expression library of xylem complementary DNA (cDNA). Polymerase chain reaction, using oligonucleotide primers made from N-terminal amino acid sequence and from the 5' end of the clone isolated from the expression library, was also used to isolate cDNA clones. These methods yielded cDNA clones covering the protein coding region of the pal messenger RNA. Comparisons of nucleotide sequence of pal cDNAs from pine, bean, sweet potato, and rice showed 60 to 62% identity between the pine clone and the angiosperm clones.