biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 51:593-596, 2007 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-007-0130-9

Photosynthetic gene expression in black willow under various soil moisture regimes

S. Li^1,*, S. Goodwin², S. R. Pezeshki¹

¹ Department of Biology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, USA

² W. Harry Feinstone Center for Genomic Research, The University of Memphis, Memphis, USA

This study was the first attempt to extract RNA from black willow (Salix nigra Marshall) that contains numerous secondary products and to examine the photosynthetic gene expression of black willow under a wide range of soil moisture regimes. Black willow cuttings were grown under control, continuous flooding, periodic flooding and periodic drought for 42 d. A modified lithium chloride precipitation method was used for RNA extraction. Results of real-time polymerase chain reaction showed reduced gene expression of oxygen evolving complex, large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenasse and ferredoxin on day 7 as well as the latter two on day 14 in response to flooding. Therefore, decreased expression of these three genes may have contributed to the observed reduced photosynthetic capacity in response to flooding.

Keywords: ferredoxin; large subunit of Rubisco; oxygen evolving complex; Salix nigra

Subjects: black willow; ferredoxin; lithium; ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; Salix nigra; soil moisture

Received: July 12, 2006; Accepted: January 21, 2007; Published: September 1, 2007  Show citation