Project description:Three 2cm segments were excised from different parts (TOP, MID, BOT) along the vertical axis of a 4 week old stem of hemp (C. sativa), and the outer layers of the stem were compared using a cDNA amplicon array. Each segment represented a different developmental stage, especially in relation to bast fibre differentiation (i.e. TOP= elongation, MID=transition, BOT= thickening). Only the cDNAs that showed the highest differential expression were sequenced.
Project description:Cannabis sativa L. is an annual herbaceous crop grown for the production of long extraxylary fibers, the bast fibers, rich in cellulose and used both in the textile and biocomposite sectors. Despite being herbaceous, hemp undergoes secondary growth and this is well exemplified by the hypocotyl. The hypocotyl was already shown to be a suitable model to study secondary growth in other herbaceous species, namely Arabidopsis thaliana and it shows an important practical advantage, i.e. elongation and radial thickening are temporally separated. This study focuses on the mechanisms marking the transition from primary to secondary growth in the hemp hypocotyl by analysing the suite of events accompanying vascular tissue and bast fiber development. RNA-Seq transcriptomics, imaging and quantification of phytohormones were carried out on four representative developmental stages (i.e. 6-9-15-20 days after sowing) to provide a first comprehensive profiling of the events associated with primary and secondary growth in hemp. This multidisciplinary approach provides cell wall-related snapshots of the growing hemp hypocotyl and identifies marker genes associated with the young (expansins, β-galactosidases and transcription factors involved in light-related processes) and the older hypocotyl (secondary cell wall biosynthetic genes and transcription factors).
Project description:The objective in this study was to develop and characterize the chemistry and genetics of a collection of feral hemp germplasm from across Nebraska for use in a hemp breeding program. An additional goal was to compare the chemistry and genetics of male and female flower structures. RNA was extracted from isolated, dissected flower tissue of one female and one male plant from each of three populations (total six samples). These plants were derived from seeds collected in Knox, Madison, and Merrick counties. Illumina reads were obtained from the RNA extracts, mapped onto a C. sativa reference genome, and gene expression levels were determined.
Project description:<h4>Background</h4>Cannabis sativa, a dioecious plant that has been cultivated worldwide for thousands of years, is known for its secondary metabolites, especially cannabinoids, which possess several medicinal effects. In this study, we investigated the autopolyploidization effects on the biosynthesis and accumulation of these metabolites, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed to explore the gene expression and metabolic variations in industrial hemp autotetraploids and their diploid progenitors.<h4>Results</h4>Through these analyses, we obtained 1,663 differentially expressed metabolites and 1,103 differentially expressed genes. Integrative analysis revealed that phenylpropanoid and terpenoid biosynthesis were regulated by polyploidization. No substantial differences were found in the cannabidiol or tetrahydrocannabinol content between tetraploids and diploids. Following polyploidization, some transcription factors, including nine bHLH and eight MYB transcription factors, affected the metabolic biosynthesis as regulators. Additionally, several pivotal catalytic genes, such as flavonol synthase/flavanone 3-hydroxylase, related to the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, were identified as being modulated by polyploidization.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study enhances the overall understanding of the impact of autopolyploidization in C. sativa and the findings may encourage the application of polyploid breeding for increasing the content of important secondary metabolites in industrial hemp.