Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum Transcriptome or Gene expression

To better understand the function of the phloem in plants, we have combined laser capture microdissection (LCM) and RNA-seq for an in-depth transcriptional profile of phloem-associated cells of both petioles and stems of potato. Out of the 27k transcripts assembled that we identified, approximately 15K were present in phloem-associated cells of petiole and stem with greater than ten reads. Approximately 22% of the transcripts in phloem cells contained at least one binding motif for Pumilio, Nova, or polypyrimidine tract-binding proteins in their downstream sequences. Highlighting the predominance of binding processes identified in the gene ontology analysis of active genes from phloem cells, 78% of the 464 RNA-binding proteins present in the potato genome were detected in our phloem transcriptome. As a reasonable alternative when phloem sap collection is not possible, LCM can be used to isolate RNA from specific cell types, and along with RNA-seq, provides practical access to expression profiles of phloem tissue.