| 1. |
- Myburg, Alexander A., et al.
(författare)
-
Systems and Synthetic Biology of Forest Trees : A Bioengineering Paradigm for Woody Biomass Feedstocks
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 10
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fast-growing forest plantations are sustainable feedstocks of plant biomass that can serve as alternatives to fossil carbon resources for materials, chemicals, and energy. Their ability to efficiently harvest light energy and carbon from the atmosphere and sequester this into metabolic precursors for lignocellulosic biopolymers and a wide range of plant specialized metabolites make them excellent biochemical production platforms and living biorefineries. Their large sizes have facilitated multi-omics analyses and systems modeling of key biological processes such as lignin biosynthesis in trees. High-throughput 'omics' approaches have also been applied in segregating tree populations where genetic variation creates abundant genetic perturbations of system components allowing construction of systems genetics models linking genes and pathways to complex trait variation. With this information in hand, it is now possible to start using synthetic biology and genome editing techniques in a bioengineering approach based on a deeper understanding and rational design of biological parts, devices, and integrated systems. However, the complexity of the biology and interacting components will require investment in big data informatics, machine learning, and intuitive visualization to fully explore multi-dimensional patterns and identify emergent properties of biological systems. Predictive systems models could be tested rapidly through high-throughput synthetic biology approaches and multigene editing. Such a bioengineering paradigm, together with accelerated genomic breeding, will be crucial for the development of a new generation of woody biorefinery crops.
|
|
| 2. |
- Lin, Yao-Cheng, et al.
(författare)
-
Functional and evolutionary genomic inferences in Populus through genome and population sequencing of American and European aspen
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : NATL ACAD SCIENCES. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 115:46, s. E10970-E10978
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Populus genus is one of the major plant model systems, but genomic resources have thus far primarily been available for poplar species, and primarily Populus trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray), which was the first tree with a whole-genome assembly. To further advance evolutionary and functional genomic analyses in Populus, we produced genome assemblies and population genetics resources of two aspen species, Populus tremula L. and Populus tremuloides Michx. The two aspen species have distributions spanning the Northern Hemisphere, where they are keystone species supporting a wide variety of dependent communities and produce a diverse array of secondary metabolites. Our analyses show that the two aspens share a similar genome structure and a highly conserved gene content with P. trichocarpa but display substantially higher levels of heterozygosity. Based on population resequencing data, we observed widespread positive and negative selection acting on both coding and noncoding regions. Furthermore, patterns of genetic diversity and molecular evolution in aspen are influenced by a number of features, such as expression level, coexpression network connectivity, and regulatory variation. To maximize the community utility of these resources, we have integrated all presented data within the PopGenIE web resource (PopGenIE.org).
|
|
| 3. |
- Bonner, Mark T. L., et al.
(författare)
-
Why does nitrogen addition to forest soils inhibit decomposition?
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0038-0717 .- 1879-3428. ; 137
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Enrichment of forest soils with inorganic nitrogen (N) tends to inhibit oxidative enzyme expression by microbes and reduces plant litter and soil organic matter decomposition rates. Without further explanation than is currently presented in the scientific literature, we argue that upregulation of oxidative enzymes seems a more competitive response to prolonged N enrichment at high rates than the observed downregulation. Thus, as it stands, observed responses are inconsistent with predicted responses. In this article, we present a hypothesis that resolves this conflict. We suggest that high rates of N addition alter the competitive balance between enzymatic lignin mineralisation and non-enzymatic lignin oxidation. Using metatransciptomics and chemical assays to examine boreal forest soils, we found that N addition suppressed peroxidase activity, but not iron reduction activity (involved in non-enzymatic lignin oxidation). Our hypothesis seems positioned as a parsimonious and empirically consistent working model that warrants further testing.
|
|
| 4. |
- Giacomello, Stefania, et al.
(författare)
-
High spatial resolution profiling in tree species
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Annual Plant Reviews Online. - : Wiley. - 2639-3832. ; 2:1, s. 329-359
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Until recently, the majority of genomics assays have been performed on bulk tissue samples containing multiple cell types. Tissues such as the wood formation zone in trees contain a complex mix of cell types organised in three-dimensional space. Moreover, cells within the wood formation zone represent a continual developmental progression from meristematic cambial initials through to cell death. This spatiotemporal developmental gradient and cell type information are not assayed by bulk samples. New and improved sampling methods coupled to next-generation sequencing assays are enabling the generation of high spatial resolution and single-cell transcriptomics data, offering unprecedented insight into the biology of unique cell types and cell developmental programs.We overview the application of these approaches to the study of wood development, in particular, and highlight challenges associated with the analysis of such data.
|
|
| 5. |
- Haas, Julia Christa, et al.
(författare)
-
Microbial community response to growing season and plant nutrient optimisation in a boreal Norway spruce forest
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0038-0717 .- 1879-3428. ; 125, s. 197-209
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interactions between Norway spruce trees and bacteria and fungi in nutrient limited boreal forests can be beneficial for tree growth and fitness. Tree-level effects of anthropogenic nutrient addition have been well studied, however understanding of the long-term effects on the associated microbiota is limited. Here, we report on the sensitivity of microbial community composition to the growing season and nutrient additions. Highthroughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS1 region was used to characterise changes in the microbial community after application of a complete mineral nutrient mixture for five and 25 years. The experiment was conducted using the Flakaliden forest research site in northern boreal Sweden and included naturally low nutrient control plots. Needle and fine root samples of Norway spruce were sampled in addition to bulk soil during one growing season to provide comprehensive insight into phyllosphere and belowground microbiota community changes. The phyllosphere microbiota was compositionally distinct from the belowground communities and phyllosphere diversity increased significantly over the growing season but was not influenced by the improved nutrient status of the trees. In both root and soil samples, alpha diversity of fungal, in particular ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), and bacterial communities increased after long-term nutrient optimisation, and with increasing years of treatment the composition of the fungal and bacterial communities changed toward a community with a higher relative abundance of nitrophilic EMF and bacterial species but did not cause complete loss of nitrophobic species from the ecosystem. From this, we conclude that 25 years of continuous nutrient addition to a boreal spruce stand increased phylotype richness and diversity of the microbiota in the soil, and at the root-soil interface, suggesting that long-term anthropogenic nutrient inputs can have positive effects on belowground biodiversity that may enhance ecosystem robustness. Future studies are needed to assess the impact of these changes to the microbiota on ecosystem carbon storage and nitrogen cycling in boreal forests.
|
|
| 6. |
- Wang, Jing, et al.
(författare)
-
A major locus controls local adaptation and adaptive life history variation in a perennial plant
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Genome Biology. - : BioMed Central. - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 19
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The initiation of growth cessation and dormancy represent critical life history trade offs between survival and growth and have important fitness effects in perennial plants Such adaptive life history traits often show strong local adaptation along environmental gradients but, despite then importance, the genetic architecture of these traits remains poorly understood.Results: We integrate whole genome re sequencing with environmental and phenotypic data from common garden experiments to investigate the genomic basis of local adaptation across a latitudinal gradient in European aspen (Populus tremula). A single genomic region containing the PtFT2 gene mediates local adaptation in the timing of bud set and explains 65% of the observed genetic variation in bud set This locus is the likely target of a recent selective sweep that originated right before or during colonization of northern Scandinavia following the last glaciation Field and greenhouse experiments confirm that variation in PtFT2 gene expression affects the phenotypic variation in bud set that we observe in wild natural populations.Conclusions: Our results reveal a major effect locus that determines the timing of bud set and that has facilitated rapid adaptation to shorter growing seasons and colder climates in European aspen. The discovery of a single locus explaining a substantial fraction of the variation in a key life-history trait is remarkable, given that such traits are generally considered to be highly polygenic. These findings provide a dramatic illustration of how loci of large effect for adaptive traits can arise and be maintained over large geographical scales in natural populations.
|
|
