Genome-Wide Splicing Landscapes Across Poplar Cultivars Reveal a GBF3-Mediated Post-Transcriptional Switch Modulating Monolignol Biosynthesis.

An intron retention event in GBF3 in developing xylem of black poplars generates a truncated isoform that abolishes DNA-binding and impairs repression of lignin genes PAL2, CAD1, and CCoAOMT2.

• Why it matters: Post-transcriptional control of xylem development in perennial poplars is poorly defined, limiting understanding of how wood formation programs are regulated beyond gene expression.
• What they did: RNA-seq from 20 independent developing xylem libraries across five cultivars identified 9,981 DEGs and 6,638 alternatively spliced genes, with network modelling linking AS events to core xylogenesis cascades.
• The result: GBF3 is positioned as a master splicing-regulated hub during secondary vascular differentiation, and its altered isoform is linked to derepression of monolignol biosynthesis genes, informing trait improvement resources.

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