Identification of Putative Cell Wall Synthesis Genes in Betula pendula

Abstract

Cellulose is an essential structural component of the plant cell wall and is an important resource for the production of paper, textiles, bioplastics and other biomaterials. The synthesis of cellulose is among the most important but poorly understood biochemical processes, which is precisely regulated by internal and external cues. Here we identified 46 gene models in 7 gene families which encoding cellulose synthase and related enzymes of Betula pendula , and the transcript abundance of these genes in xylem, root, leaf and flower tissues also be determined. Based on these RNA-seq data, we have identified 8 genes that most likely participate in cell wall synthesis. In parallel, a gene co-expression network was also constructed based on transcriptome sequencing.