Collection of expressed genes from the transition zone of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> in the dormant season

Heartwood affects the utility of wood because it differs in some properties compared to sapwood. To regulate heartwood formation, its mechanism must be elucidated. However, the molecular basis underlying heartwood formation remains largely unknown. To obtain clues to understand the mechanism at a molecular level, we collected expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from the transition zone (TZ) of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don in November, in which heartwood formation is considered to proceed. A total of 1029 ESTs were assembled into 744 unique sequences (103 clusters and 641 singletons). Putative functions were assigned to 291 nuclear-encoded sequences, and they were grouped into 21 categories according to the eukaryotic orthologous groups functional classification. We selected 20 genes for enzymes or proteins, then examined their expression patterns among different organs. The expression levels of nine genes were higher in November than in June in the TZ. The genes encode two enzymes in glycolysis, invertase, methionine adenosyltransferase, glutathione transferase, the lipid transfer protein, Bet v 1 allergen, the dehydrin and the function-unknown protein. This study has provided the first large-scale EST information from the TZ of conifers, which will be useful for understanding the physiological processes in the TZ at a molecular level.