Red maple (Acer rubrum L.) is ornamentally and medicinally valuable. However, its wide application is restricted by the difficulty of rooting in cuttings. We analyzed paraffin sections of roots regenerating using RNA-Seq to decipher the mechanisms underlying de novo root regeneration (DNRR) in red maple cuttings. This work contributes to improving the rooting rate and shortening the rooting time. We identified four stages during DNRR: 0 day after induction (DAI), no new cell formation; 30 DAI, root meristem organization; 36 DAI, root primordium formation; and 45 DAI, root elongation growth. We identified 37,959 unigenes by de novo assembly, with 25,477(67.12%) functionally annotated. Furthermore, we identified 1,285 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between adjacent stages. From GO and KEGG enrichment networks, we found evidence that plant hormones are significant in DNRR of red maple cuttings. Specifically, 149 DEGs functioned in hormone signal transduction pathways, particularly those involving ethylene, auxin, and jasmonic acid (JA). We propose a complex regulatory network model of DNRR in red maple, where wounding induces root regeneration through pathways of JA and auxin signaling. The transcription factors ERF109 and ERF115 integrate JA signal and participate in DNRR directly by regulating SCR activation and indirectly, by promoting auxin biosynthesis.
ABI3 plays a role in de-novo root regeneration from Arabidopsis thaliana callus cells
