Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis of Juvenile and Adult Leaf Morphologies in Conifers

Juniperus flaccida (drooping juniper) and Pinus cembroides (pinyon pine) are conifers native to North America, spanning Mexico and the Southwestern region of the United States. Although from two different lineages, both species exhibit heteroblastic growth. Morphologically, their leaves undergo a change between the juvenile and adult life stage. J. flaccida leaves appear needle-like at youth and scale-like at maturity, whereas the P. cembroides will transition from needle-like leaves to brown scale-like leaves. The objective was to perform a comparative transcriptomic analysis to quantify and examine differential expression in juvenile and adult individuals from both species.