Molecular Biology of Woody Plants

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Genetic Engineering and gene expression

   1. Optimization of the expression of a transgene in plants

      • Subhash C. Minocha

      Pages 1-30

   2. Genetic Engineering in Forest Trees: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

      • M. R. Ahuja

      Pages 31-49

   3. Molecular biology of somatic embryogenesis in conifers

      • J.-Z. Dong, D. I. Dunstan

      Pages 51-87

   4. Molecular Aspects of Bud Dormancy in Trees

      • A. Rohde, G. T. Howe, J. E. Olsen, T. Moritz, M. Van Montagu, O. Junttila et al.

      Pages 89-134

   5. Options for Genetic Engineering of Floral Sterility in Forest Trees

      • J. S. Skinner, R. Meilan, A. M. Brunner, S. H. Strauss

      Pages 135-153

   6. Molecular Control of the Development and Function of the Vascular Cambium

      • O. Olsson, C. H. A. Little

      Pages 155-180

   7. Genetic Engineering of Wood Formation

      • Hannele Tuominen, Olof Olsson, Björn Sundberg

      Pages 181-203

   8. Molecular Biology of Cellulose Biosynthesis

      • Tony Arioli, Joanne E. Burn, Richard E. Williamson

      Pages 205-225

   9. Control of Lignin Biosynthesis

      • J. H. Christensen, M. Baucher, A. O’Connell, M. Van Montagu, W. Boerjan

      Pages 227-267

   10. Molecular Biology of Tropical Nitrogen-Fixing Trees in the Casuarinaceae Family

       • Laurent Laplaze, Marie-Claude Bon, Mame Oureye Sy, Aziz Smouni, Christelle Allonneau, Florence Auguy et al.

       Pages 269-285

   11. Proteins of the Conifer Extracellular Matrix

       • Carol A. Loopstra

       Pages 287-297

   12. Gene Expression during Pseudotsuga Menziesii Embryogenesis: Low Molecular Weight Proteins

       • Malinee Chatthai, Santosh Misra

       Pages 299-314

3. Molecular Genetics

   1. Tissue Culture of Woody Plants and Its Relevance to Molecular Biology

      • R. Minocha, S. M. Jain

      Pages 315-339

   2. Variation in Woody Plants; Molecular Markers, Evolutionary Processes and Conservation Biology

      • Y. B. Linhart

      Pages 341-373

   3. Molecular Markers and Genome Mapping in Woody Plants

      • M. T. Cervera, C. Plomion, C. Malpica

      Pages 375-394

   4. Assessment of Biodiversity with Molecular Tools in Forest Trees

      • Outi Savolainen, Auli Karhu

      Pages 395-406

   5. Mapping Quantitative Traits in Forest Trees

      • Mitchell M. Sewell, David B. Neale

      Pages 407-423

   6. Somaclonal Variation and Genetic Molecular Markers in Woody Plants

      • J.-L. Fourré

      Pages 425-449

   7. Molecular Breeding of Eucalyptus

      • Dario Grattapaglia

      Pages 451-474

Woody plants constitute an artificial and heterogeneous group of plants that share some common phenotypic characteristics but otherwise have no strong evolutionary relationships, nor do they share a common habitat. They are a primary source of fiber and timber, and also include many edible fruit species. Their unique phenotypic behavior includes a perennial habit associated with extensive secondary growth. Additional characteristics of woody plants include: developmental juvenility and maturity with respect to growth habit, flowering time, and morphogenetic response in tissue cultures; environmental control of bud dormancy and flowering cycles; variable tolerance to abiotic stresses, wounding and pathogens; and long distance transport of water and nutrients. Woody plants, particularly tree species, have been the focus of numerous physiological studies to understand their specialized functions, however, only recently have they become the target of molecular studies. Recent advances in our understanding of signal transduction pathways for environmental responses in herbaceous plants, including the identification and cloning of genes for proteins involved in signal transduction, should provide useful leads to undertake parallel studies with woody plants. Molecular mapping techniques, coupled with the availability of cloned genes from herbaceous plants, should provide shortcuts to cloning relevant genes from woody plants. The unique phenotypes of these plants can then be targeted for improvement through genetic engineering. In this book we present a broad coverage of various aspects of plant molecular biology that are relevant to the improvement of woody plant.

• Biodiversity
• Conservation biology
• Embryo
• Flora
• Woody plant
• conifers
• evolution
• forest
• forest trees
• genes
• genetic engineering
• nitrogen
• woody plants
• woody species

• Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, Vienna, Austria

  S. Mohan Jain

• Department of Biology, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA

  Subhash C. Minocha

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