2024年3月，实验室成员薛良交教授作为通讯作者在Horticulture Research发表了题为“Allele-specific DNA methylation and gene expression during shoot organogenesis in tissue culture of hybrid poplar”的研究论文。该研究以银腺杨‘84K’为研究对象在全基因组水平上挖掘等位基因，整合利用基因转录组和DNA甲基化数据解析了不定芽从头再生过程中DNA甲基化参与调控转录进程的分子基础。研究结果揭示了杨树在不定芽发生过程中DNA甲基化和等位基因特异性表达在不同发育阶段的响应模式，为提高林木再生能力和遗传转化效率提供重要线索。随着表观遗传调控新技术的不断涌现，利用前沿基因编辑工具对DNA甲基化修饰位点进行特异性改造，将有助于精准提高再生顽拗型树种的再生和遗传转化效率。该研究工作得到了科技创新2030—重大项目（2023ZD0405601）、国家自然科学基金（32171826、32201595）和江苏省自然科学基金（BK20220411）项目的资助。

Figure 1. Allele-specific expression (ASE) during shoot regeneration. a, b PCA score plots of allele expression in samples from each phase of direct and indirect shoot organogenesis, each point representing an independent biological replicate. c Venn diagram displaying the numbers of ASEGs and the frequency statistics of their occurrence in each phase sample. d Venn diagrams displaying the numbers of phase-dependent ASEGs in samples at regenerate phases compared with the explant samples. e, f Allelic expression patterns of universal master regulators of callus formation and shoot regeneration, respectively. Colour scale indicates gene expression levels.