Wood Formation under Severe Drought Invokes Adjustment of the Hormonal and Transcriptional Landscape in Poplar.

ABSTRACT: Drought is a severe environmental stress that exerts negative effects on plant growth. In trees, drought leads to reduced secondary growth and altered wood anatomy. The mechanisms underlying wood stress adaptation are not well understood. Here, we investigated the physiological, anatomical, hormonal, and transcriptional responses of poplar to strong drought. Drought-stressed xylem was characterized by higher vessel frequencies, smaller vessel lumina, and thicker secondary fiber cell walls. These changes were accompanied by strong increases in abscisic acid (ABA) and antagonistic changes in salicylic acid in wood. Transcriptional evidence supported ABA biosynthesis and signaling in wood. Since ABA signaling activates the fiber-thickening factor NST1, we expected upregulation of the secondar

SUBMITTER: Yu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8493802 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature