Photoperiod control of poplar bark storage protein accumulation

• Published in: Plant physiology (Bethesda) Vol. 96; no. 3; pp. 686 - 692
• Main Authors: COLEMAN, G. D, CHEN, T. H. H, ERNST, S. G, FUCHIGAMI, L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rockville, MD American Society of Plant Physiologists 01.07.1991
• Subjects: Antiserum; arn mensajero; arn messager; Bark; bark products; Biological and medical sciences; Dormancy; fotoperiodismo; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gels; Immunoprecipitation; Messenger RNA; Metabolism; Nitrogen metabolism; Photoperiod; photoperiodicite; photoperiodicity; Plant physiology and development; Plants; populus deltoides; produit a base d' ecorce; protein synthesis; RNA; seasonal variation; sintesis de proteinas; Storage proteins; synthese proteique; trozos de corteza; variacion estacional; variation saisonniere; Storage protein; Bark; Photoperiod; Gene expression; Stem; Salicaceae; Immunological method; Populus deltoides; Messenger RNA; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Electrophoresis; Hardwood forest tree; Spermatophyta; Biological accumulation
• DOI: 10.1104/pp.96.3.686
• ISSN: 0032-0889

Bark storage proteins (BSPs) accumulate in the inner bark parenchyma of many woody plants during autumn and winter. We investigated the effect of a short-day (SD) photoperiod on the accumulation of the 32-kilodalton bark storage protein of poplar (Populus deltoides Bart. ex Marsh.) under controlled environmental and natural growing conditions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and protein gel blot analysis revealed that 10 days of SD exposure (8 hours of light) resulted in a 20% increase in the relative abundance of the 32-kilodalton bark storage protein of poplar. After 17 days of SD exposure, the 32-kilodalton bark storage protein accounted for nearly one-half of the soluble bark proteins. In natural field conditions, accumulation of the 32-kilodalton bark storage protein was observed to start by August 18 (daylength 14.1 hours). Immunoprecipitation of in vitro translation products with anti-BSP serum revealed that the SD protein accumulation was correlated with changes in the pool of translatable mRNA. A survey of poplar clones from different geographic origins revealed the presence of the 32-kilodalton BSP in the dormant bark of all the clones tested. These results demonstrate that a SD photoperiod induces, whether directly or indirectly, rapid changes in woody plant gene expression, leading to the accumulation of BSP.