Multi-organ single-cell atlas of oak identifies candidate regulator of adventitious root formation

Researchers have published a multi-organ single-cell transcriptomic atlas of Quercus robur (pedunculate oak) in PLOS Genetics, covering leaf, stem, and root tissues. The study, led by Wenkai Hui, Jiayue Li, and colleagues, represents one of the most detailed cellular-resolution maps of gene expression produced for a temperate woody tree species.

Using the atlas, the team identified QrIAA14, a gene encoding an auxin-signalling repressor, as a candidate negative regulator of adventitious root development — the process by which roots form from non-root tissue, which is critical for vegetative propagation (clonal multiplication) of oak. Efficient vegetative propagation of oak has long been technically challenging, limiting forestry and conservation efforts.

The single-cell approach allowed the researchers to resolve cell-type-specific transcriptional programmes that are obscured in bulk tissue sequencing, revealing how cell fate transitions are coordinated across different organs during root development. The authors suggest that QrIAA14 may represent a target for improving rooting efficiency in oak and potentially other recalcitrant woody species.

The study is published as a peer-reviewed article in PLOS Genetics and is primarily of interest to plant geneticists, forest biologists, and researchers working on developmental genomics in non-model organisms.