Transcriptomic analysis of wound xylem formation in Pinus canariensis (BMC Plant Biol.)

Woody plants, given their usually long life span, typically must face during their life several injuries that could take as long as several years to heal.  In their work, Chano et al. use microarray analysis and RT-PCR to analyze the transcriptome changes that occurs during wood formation after a trauma in the conifer Pinus canariensis. Their results suggest that during the first 3 months after wounding, pathogen defense molecules are first formed, followed by a fast-growing traumatic wood with a higher proportion of resin ducts and, at least at the very beginning, less efficient than normal wood as a preventive barrier. (Summary by Isabel Mendoza) BMC Plant Biol. 10.1186/s12870-017-1183-3