Functional identification of an EXPA gene ( NcEXPA8 ) isolated from the tree Neolamarckia cadamba.

As a class of important cell growth regulators, expansins have been studied for over 20 years. SinceNeolamarckia cadamba(Roxb.) Bosser was praised as a ‘miraculous tree’ at the World Forestry Congress in 1972 due to its rapid growth. A lot of research has been carried out to uncover the underlying mechanisms of this rapid growth. Based on previous findings and our research, we hypothesized that expansins may play an important role in such growth. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that theN. cadambaexpansin family memberNcEXPA8is highly expressed in all four young tissues, particularly in the cambium region, suggesting thatNcEXPA8acts as a key regulator of secondary growth in this gene family. Overexpression ofNcEXPA8inArabidopsis thalianaincreased the diameter and height of the main stem. It also promoted interfascicular fiber cell elongation and cell-wall thickness but did not alter the cellulose content in the cell wall. These results suggested that expansins act as activators during secondary fiber cell elongation during tip growth to promote plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]