Transcriptome analysis of peat moss Sphagnum palustre

In angiosperms, differentiation of vessel elements are governed by master regulators, VASCULAR RELATED NAC-DOMAIN 6 (VND6) and VND7, encoding plant specific NAC transcription factors. In bryophytes, vessel elements have not been found whereas some group of them have other type of conducting tissues, hydroid; and it becomes clear that one of them (moss Physcomitrella patens) also has VND homologs (VND-NST-SOMBRERO:VNS) which regulate hydroid differentiation. The peat moss Sphagnum palustre belongs to one of mosses, Sphagnopsida, which has hyaline cells to store water, but not hydoroids. To identify the VNS genes of S. palustre, we performed whole transcriptome analysis and de novo assembly.