From juvenile to adult: investigating miRNAs, gene expression, and the juvenile cone in olive development.

ABSTRACT: The long juvenile phase in perennials hinders rapid breeding, highlighting the need for early selection markers. Some species, such as the olive tree (Olea europaea L.), develop a juvenile cone, where adult tissue forms in the upper and peripheral canopy, while basal and inner regions remain juvenile. These structures offer a unique, yet underexplored, system for studying the juvenile-to-adult transition while minimizing genetic and environmental variability. We analyzed tissues from trees with a juvenile cone to identify genes and miRNAs distinguishing juvenile from adult vegetative tissue. Known transition markers, including miR156, miR172, and homologs of APETALA2 and AGAMOUS-like 42, showed clear differential expression across developmental stages, with the miR156/

SUBMITTER: Romero-Rodriguez P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12605533 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature