Environ Exp Biol (2017) 15: 7–13

Expression of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) TIP-like and sucrose synthase genes during two growing seasons and correlation with relative wood densities

Abstract

Scots pine is one of the dominant tree species in Latvian forests and has great ecological, social and economic importance globally. Research on connecting molecular data with phenotype is still developing for non-model plant species. To study the linkages between gene expression and desirable wood properties in Scots pine and to determine the dynamics of gene expression for organisms growing in field conditions, we investigated the expression of two genes, previously reported to be involved in wood formation processes. Fifty Scots pine individuals with differing relative wood densities were analysed at one time point during early and late wood formation during the first growing season. During the second growing season, a subset of fifteen trees with large gene expression differences detected during the first season were analysed at four time points during early wood formation and five time points during late wood formation. We found that during both growing seasons, sucrose synthase gene expression tended to be higher for trees with higher wood density, while the tonoplast intrinsic protein-like gene was more highly expressed in trees with lower wood density. Both genes showed differential gene expression dynamics during the second growth season, but at some time points there was correlation with gene expression in the first season.