Identification of candidate genes important for frost tolerance in Festuca pratensis Huds. by transcriptional profiling.

Studies of differential gene expression between cold acclimated (CA) and non-cold acclimated (NA) plants yield insight into how plants prepare for cold stress at the transcriptional level. Furthermore genes involved in the cold acclimation process are good candidate loci for genetic variation in frost tolerance and winter survival. In this study we combine different approaches to try to decode the genetics of cold acclimation and frost tolerance in meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds).

Gene expression changes during short day induced terminal bud formation in Norway spruce.

The molecular basis for terminal bud formation in autumn is not well understood in conifers. By combining suppression subtractive hybridization and monitoring of gene expression by qRT-PCR analysis, we aimed to identify genes involved in photoperiodic control of growth cessation and bud set in Norway spruce. Close to 1400 ESTs were generated and their functional distribution differed between short day (SD-12 h photoperiod) and long day (LD-24 h photoperiod) libraries.

Identification of PaCOL1 and PaCOL2, two CONSTANS-like genes showing decreased transcript levels preceding short day induced growth cessation in Norway spruce.

In woody plants of the temperate zone short photoperiod (SD) leads to growth cessation. In angiosperms CONSTANS (CO) or CO-like genes play an important role in the photoperiodic control of flowering, tuberisation and shoot growth. To investigate the role of CO-like genes in photoperiodic control of shoot elongation in gymnosperms, PaCOL1 and PaCOL2 were isolated from Norway spruce.