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Bourdon M, Lyczakowski JJ, Cresswell R, Amsbury S, Vilaplana F, Le Guen MJ, Follain N, Wightman R, Su C, Alatorre-Cobos F, Ritter M, Liszka A, Terrett OM, Yadav SR, Vatén A, Nieminen K, Eswaran G, Alonso-Serra J, Müller KH, Iuga D, Miskolczi PC, Kalmbach L, Otero S, Mähönen AP, Bhalerao R, Bulone V, Mansfield SD, Hill S, Burgert I, Beaugrand J, Benitez-Alfonso Y, Dupree R, Dupree P, Helariutta Y. Ectopic callose deposition into woody biomass modulates the nano-architecture of macrofibrils. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1530-1546. [PMID: 37666966 PMCID: PMC10505557 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01459-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Plant biomass plays an increasingly important role in the circular bioeconomy, replacing non-renewable fossil resources. Genetic engineering of this lignocellulosic biomass could benefit biorefinery transformation chains by lowering economic and technological barriers to industrial processing. However, previous efforts have mostly targeted the major constituents of woody biomass: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Here we report the engineering of wood structure through the introduction of callose, a polysaccharide novel to most secondary cell walls. Our multiscale analysis of genetically engineered poplar trees shows that callose deposition modulates cell wall porosity, water and lignin contents and increases the lignin-cellulose distance, ultimately resulting in substantially decreased biomass recalcitrance. We provide a model of the wood cell wall nano-architecture engineered to accommodate the hydrated callose inclusions. Ectopic polymer introduction into biomass manifests in new physico-chemical properties and offers new avenues when considering lignocellulose engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Bourdon
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Jan J Lyczakowski
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | | | - Sam Amsbury
- Centre for Plant Science, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Plants, Photosynthesis and Soil, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Francisco Vilaplana
- Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- Wallenberg Wood Science Centre (WWSC), KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Nadège Follain
- Normandie Université, UNIROUEN Normandie, INSA Rouen, CNRS, PBS, Rouen, France
| | - Raymond Wightman
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chang Su
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Fulgencio Alatorre-Cobos
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Conacyt-Unidad de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular de Plantas, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Mérida, Mexico
| | - Maximilian Ritter
- Wood Materials Science, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Empa Wood Tec, Cellulose and Wood Materials Laboratory, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandra Liszka
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Oliver M Terrett
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shri Ram Yadav
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Anne Vatén
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Stomatal Development and Plasticity group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kaisa Nieminen
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Production systems / Tree Breeding Department, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Gugan Eswaran
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juan Alonso-Serra
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- UMR 5667 Reproduction et Développement Des Plantes, ENS de Lyon, France
| | - Karin H Müller
- Cambridge Advanced Imaging Centre, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dinu Iuga
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Pal Csaba Miskolczi
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Lothar Kalmbach
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Molecular Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sofia Otero
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Science and Technology Office of the Congress of Deputies, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ari Pekka Mähönen
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rishikesh Bhalerao
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Vincent Bulone
- Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Shawn D Mansfield
- Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stefan Hill
- Scion, Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park, Rotorua, New Zealand
| | - Ingo Burgert
- Wood Materials Science, Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Empa Wood Tec, Cellulose and Wood Materials Laboratory, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Johnny Beaugrand
- Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages (BIA), INRA, Nantes, France
| | - Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso
- The Centre for Plant Science, The Bragg Centre, The Astbury Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Ray Dupree
- Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Paul Dupree
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Ykä Helariutta
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Wood Development Group, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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2
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Xia J, Guo Z, Yang Z, Han H, Wang S, Xu H, Yang X, Yang F, Wu Q, Xie W, Zhou X, Dermauw W, Turlings TCJ, Zhang Y. Whitefly hijacks a plant detoxification gene that neutralizes plant toxins. Cell 2021; 184:1693-1705.e17. [PMID: 33770502 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Plants protect themselves with a vast array of toxic secondary metabolites, yet most plants serve as food for insects. The evolutionary processes that allow herbivorous insects to resist plant defenses remain largely unknown. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci is a cosmopolitan, highly polyphagous agricultural pest that vectors several serious plant pathogenic viruses and is an excellent model to probe the molecular mechanisms involved in overcoming plant defenses. Here, we show that, through an exceptional horizontal gene transfer event, the whitefly has acquired the plant-derived phenolic glucoside malonyltransferase gene BtPMaT1. This gene enables whiteflies to neutralize phenolic glucosides. This was confirmed by genetically transforming tomato plants to produce small interfering RNAs that silence BtPMaT1, thus impairing the whiteflies' detoxification ability. These findings reveal an evolutionary scenario whereby herbivores harness the genetic toolkit of their host plants to develop resistance to plant defenses and how this can be exploited for crop protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixing Xia
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhaojiang Guo
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zezhong Yang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Haolin Han
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Shaoli Wang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Haifeng Xu
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Fengshan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Sciences, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Qingjun Wu
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xuguo Zhou
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA
| | - Wannes Dermauw
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Plant Sciences Unit, 8920 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ted C J Turlings
- Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | - Youjun Zhang
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
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Endo S, Iwamoto K, Fukuda H. Overexpression and cosuppression of xylem-related genes in an early xylem differentiation stage-specific manner by the AtTED4 promoter. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2018; 16:451-458. [PMID: 28664596 PMCID: PMC5787829 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Tissue-specific overexpression of useful genes, which we can design according to their cause-and-effect relationships, often gives valuable gain-of-function phenotypes. To develop genetic tools in woody biomass engineering, we produced a collection of Arabidopsis lines that possess chimeric genes of a promoter of an early xylem differentiation stage-specific gene, Arabidopsis Tracheary Element Differentiation-related 4 (AtTED4) and late xylem development-associated genes, many of which are uncharacterized. The AtTED4 promoter directed the expected expression of transgenes in developing vascular tissues from young to mature stage. Of T2 lines examined, 42%, 49% and 9% were judged as lines with the nonrepeat type insertion, the simple repeat type insertion and the other repeat type insertion of transgenes. In 174 T3 lines, overexpression lines were confirmed for 37 genes, whereas only cosuppression lines were produced for eight genes. The AtTED4 promoter activity was high enough to overexpress a wide range of genes over wild-type expression levels, even though the wild-type expression is much higher than AtTED4 expression for several genes. As a typical example, we investigated phenotypes of pAtTED4::At5g60490 plants, in which both overexpression and cosuppression lines were included. Overexpression but not cosuppression lines showed accelerated xylem development, suggesting the positive role of At5g60490 in xylem development. Taken together, this study provides valuable results about behaviours of various genes expressed under an early xylem-specific promoter and about usefulness of their lines as genetic tools in woody biomass engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Endo
- Department of Biological SciencesGraduate School of ScienceThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Kuninori Iwamoto
- Department of Biological SciencesGraduate School of ScienceThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
| | - Hiroo Fukuda
- Department of Biological SciencesGraduate School of ScienceThe University of TokyoTokyoJapan
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4
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Abstract
The transfer of T-DNA sequences from Agrobacterium to plant cells is a well-understood process of natural genetic engineering. The expression of T-DNA genes in plants leads to tumors, hairy roots, or transgenic plants. The transformed cells multiply and synthesize small molecules, called opines, used by Agrobacteria for their growth. Several T-DNA genes stimulate or influence plant growth. Among these, iaaH and iaaM encode proteins involved in auxin synthesis, whereas ipt encodes a protein involved in cytokinin synthesis. Growth can also be induced or modified by other T-DNA genes, collectively called plast genes (for phenotypic plasticity). The plast genes are defined by their common ancestry and are mostly found on T-DNAs. They can influence plant growth in different ways, but the molecular basis of their morphogenetic activity remains largely unclear. Only some plast genes, such as 6b, rolB, rolC, and orf13, have been studied in detail. Plast genes have a significant potential for applied research and may be used to modify the growth of crop plants. In this review, I summarize the most important findings and models from 30 years of plast gene research and propose some outlooks for the future.
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Etchells JP, Mishra LS, Kumar M, Campbell L, Turner SR. Wood Formation in Trees Is Increased by Manipulating PXY-Regulated Cell Division. Curr Biol 2015; 25:1050-5. [PMID: 25866390 PMCID: PMC4406943 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Revised: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The woody tissue of trees is composed of xylem cells that arise from divisions of stem cells within the cambial meristem. The rate of xylem cell formation is dependent upon the rate of cell division within the cambium and is controlled by both genetic and environmental factors [1, 2]. In the annual plant Arabidopsis, signaling between a peptide ligand CLE41 and a receptor kinase PXY controls cambial cell divisions [3–5]; however, the pathway regulating secondary growth in trees has not been identified. Here, we show that an aspen receptor kinase PttPXY and its peptide ligand PttCLE41 are functional orthologs and act to control a multifunctional pathway that regulates both the rate of cambial cell division and woody tissue organization. Ectopic overexpression of PttPXY and PttCLE41 genes in hybrid aspen resulted in vascular tissue abnormalities and poor plant growth. In contrast, precise tissue-specific overexpression generated trees that exhibited a 2-fold increase in the rate of wood formation, were taller, and possessed larger leaves compared to the controls. Our results demonstrate that the PXY-CLE pathway has evolved to regulate secondary growth and manipulating this pathway can result in dramatically increased tree growth and productivity. PXY receptor kinase and CLE peptide signal to regulate radial growth in trees Engineering PXY-CLE expression can lead to large increases in wood formation Manipulating PXY-CLE also leads to increased tree height and leaf size The results can be used to generate trees that are more productive
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Affiliation(s)
- J Peter Etchells
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Laxmi S Mishra
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Liam Campbell
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Simon R Turner
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
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6
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Mudge SR, Basnayake SWV, Moyle RL, Osabe K, Graham MW, Morgan TE, Birch RG. Mature-stem expression of a silencing-resistant sucrose isomerase gene drives isomaltulose accumulation to high levels in sugarcane. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2013; 11:502-9. [PMID: 23297683 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2012] [Revised: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 11/26/2012] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Isomaltulose (IM) is a natural isomer of sucrose. It is widely approved as a food with properties including slower digestion, lower glycaemic index and low cariogenicity, which can benefit consumers. Availability is currently limited by the cost of fermentative conversion from sucrose. Transgenic sugarcane plants with developmentally-controlled expression of a silencing-resistant gene encoding a vacuole-targeted IM synthase were tested under field conditions typical of commercial sugarcane cultivation. High yields of IM were obtained, up to 483 mm or 81% of total sugars in whole-cane juice from plants aged 13 months. Using promoters from sugarcane to drive expression preferentially in the sugarcane stem, IM levels were consistent between stalks and stools within a transgenic line and across consecutive vegetative field generations of tested high-isomer lines. Germination and early growth of plants from setts were unaffected by IM accumulation, up to the tested level around 500 mm in flanking stem internodes. These are the highest yields ever achieved of value-added materials through plant metabolic engineering. The sugarcane stem promoters are promising for strategies to achieve even higher IM levels and for other applications in sugarcane molecular improvement. Silencing-resistant transgenes are critical to deliver the potential of these promoters in practical sugarcane improvement. At the IM levels now achieved in field-grown sugarcane, direct production of IM in plants is feasible at a cost approaching that of sucrose, which should make the benefits of IM affordable on a much wider scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Mudge
- Hines Plant Science Building, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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7
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Mauriat M, Moritz T. Analyses of GA20ox- and GID1-over-expressing aspen suggest that gibberellins play two distinct roles in wood formation. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2009; 58:989-1003. [PMID: 19228336 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2009.03836.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Gibberellins (GAs) are involved in many aspects of plant development, including shoot growth, flowering and wood formation. Increased levels of bioactive GAs are known to induce xylogenesis and xylem fiber elongation in aspen. However, there is currently little information on the response pathway(s) that mediate GA effects on wood formation. Here we characterize an important element of the GA pathway in hybrid aspen: the GA receptor, GID1. Four orthologs of GID1 were identified in Populus tremula x P. tremuloides (PttGID1.1-1.4). These were functional when expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana, and appear to present a degree of sub-functionalization in hybrid aspen. PttGID1.1 and PttGID1.3 were over-expressed in independent lines of hybrid aspen using either the 35S promoter or a xylem-specific promoter (LMX5). The 35S:PttGID1 over-expressors shared several phenotypic traits previously described in 35S:AtGA20ox1 over-expressors, including rapid growth, increased elongation, and increased xylogenesis. However, their xylem fibers were not elongated, unlike those of 35S:AtGA20ox1 plants. Similar differences in the xylem fiber phenotype were observed when PttGID1.1, PttGID1.3 or AtGA20ox1 were expressed under the control of the LMX5 promoter, suggesting either that PttGID1.1 and PttGID1.3 play no role in fiber elongation or that GA homeostasis is strongly controlled when GA signaling is altered. Our data suggest that GAs are required in two distinct wood-formation processes that have tissue-specific signaling pathways: xylogenesis, as mediated by GA signaling in the cambium, and fiber elongation in the developing xylem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Mauriat
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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8
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Tiimonen H, Häggman H, Tsai CJ, Chiang V, Aronen T. The seasonal activity and the effect of mechanical bending and wounding on the PtCOMT promoter in Betula pendula Roth. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2007; 26:1205-14. [PMID: 17431633 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-007-0331-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2006] [Revised: 01/30/2007] [Accepted: 02/20/2007] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In this study, 900-bp (signed as p including nucleotides -1 to -886) and partly deleted (signed as dp including nucleotides -1 to -414) COMT (caffeate/5-hydroxyferulate O-methyltransferase) promoters from Populus tremuloides Michx. were fused to the GUS reporter gene, and the tissue-specific expression patterns of the promoters were determined in Betula pendula Roth along the growing season, and as a response to mechanical bending and wounding. The main activity of the PtCOMTp- and PtCOMTdp-promoters, determined by the histochemical GUS assay, was found in the developing xylem of stems during the 8th-13th week and in the developing xylem of roots in the 13th week of the growing season. The GUS expression patterns did not differ among the xylem cell types. The PtCOMT promoter-induced GUS expression observed in phloem fibres suggests a need for PtCOMT expression and thus syringyl (S) lignin synthesis in fibre lignification. However, the PtCOMTdp-promoter induced GUS expression in stem trichomes, which may contribute to the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoid pathway-derived compounds other than lignin. Finally, a strong GUS expression was induced by the PtCOMT promoters in response to mechanical stem bending but not to wounding. The lack of major differences between the PtCOMTp- and PtCOMTdp-promoters suggests that the deleted promoter sequence (including nucleotides -415 to -886) did not contain a significant regulatory element contributing to the GUS expression in young B. pendula trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Tiimonen
- Finnish Forest Research Institute, Punkaharju Research Unit, Finlandiantie 18, 58450 Punkaharju, Finland.
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9
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Casanova E, Trillas MI, Moysset L, Vainstein A. Influence of rol genes in floriculture. Biotechnol Adv 2005; 23:3-39. [PMID: 15610964 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2004.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2004] [Revised: 06/11/2004] [Accepted: 06/11/2004] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, new traits have been introduced into ornamental plants through classical breeding. However, genetic engineering now enables specific alterations of single traits in already successful varieties. New or improved varieties of floricultural crops can be obtained by acting on floral traits, such as color, shape or fragrance, on vase life in cut-flower species, and on rooting potential or overall plant morphology. Overexpression of the rol genes of the Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium rhizogenes in plants alters several of the plant's developmental processes and affects their architecture. Both A. rhizogenes- and rol-transgenic plants display the "hairy-root phenotype", although specific differences are found between species and between transgenic lines. In general, these plants show a dwarfed phenotype, reduced apical dominance, smaller, wrinkled leaves, increased rooting, altered flowering and reduced fertility. Among the rol genes, termed rolA, B, C and D, rolC has been the most widely studied because its effects are the most advantageous in terms of improving ornamental and horticultural traits. In addition to the dwarfness and the increase in lateral shoots that lead to a bushy phenotype, rolC-plants display more, smaller flowers, and advanced flowering; surprisingly, these plants may have better rooting capacity and they show almost no undesirable traits. rolD, the least studied among the rol genes, offers promising applications due to its promotion of flowering. Although the biochemical functions of rol genes remain poorly understood, they are useful tools for improving ornamental flowers, as their expression in transgenic plants yields many beneficial traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Casanova
- Departament de Biologia Vegetal, Unitat de Fisiologia Vegetal, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda. Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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10
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Morreel K, Ralph J, Lu F, Goeminne G, Busson R, Herdewijn P, Goeman JL, Van der Eycken J, Boerjan W, Messens E. Phenolic profiling of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase-deficient poplar reveals novel benzodioxane oligolignols. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2004; 136:4023-36. [PMID: 15563622 PMCID: PMC535834 DOI: 10.1104/pp.104.049312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2004] [Revised: 09/28/2004] [Accepted: 09/28/2004] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes preferentially the methylation of 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde to sinapaldehyde in monolignol biosynthesis. Here, we have compared HPLC profiles of the methanol-soluble phenolics fraction of xylem tissue from COMT-deficient and control poplars (Populus spp.), using statistical analysis of the peak heights. COMT down-regulation results in significant concentration differences for 25 of the 91 analyzed peaks. Eight peaks were exclusively detected in COMT-deficient poplar, of which four could be purified for further identification using mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and spiking of synthesized reference compounds. These new compounds were derived from 5-hydroxyconiferyl alcohol or 5-hydroxyconiferaldehyde and were characterized by benzodioxane moieties, a structural type that is also increased in the lignins of COMT-deficient plants. One of these four benzodioxanes amounted to the most abundant oligolignol in the HPLC profile. Furthermore, all of the differentially accumulating oligolignols involving sinapyl units were either reduced in abundance or undetectable. The concentration levels of all identified oligolignols were in agreement with the relative supply of monolignols and with their chemical coupling propensities, which supports the random coupling hypothesis. Chiral HPLC analysis of the most abundant benzodioxane dimer revealed the presence of both enantiomers in equal amounts, indicating that they were formed by radical coupling reactions under simple chemical control rather than guided by dirigent proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris Morreel
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Ghent University, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
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Gittins JR, Pellny TK, Biricolti S, Hiles ER, Passey AJ, James DJ. Transgene expression in the vegetative tissues of apple driven by the vascular-specific rolC and CoYMV promoters. Transgenic Res 2003; 12:391-402. [PMID: 12885161 DOI: 10.1023/a:1024286405310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability of the heterologous promoters, rolCP and CoYMVP, to drive expression of the gusA reporter gene in the vegetative tissues of apple (Malus pumila Mill.) has been studied using transgenic plants produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Replicate plants of each transgenic clone were propagated in soil to a uniform size and samples of leaf, petiole, stem, and root were taken for the measurement of beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity by fluorometric assay. The levels of expression were compared with those in tissues of a representative clone containing the CaMV 35S promoter. These quantitative GUS data were related to the copy number of transgene loci assessed by Southern blotting. The CoYMV promoter was slightly more active than the rolC promoter, although both expressed gusA at a lower level than the CaMV 35S promoter. In clones containing the rolC promoter with multiple transgene loci, expression values were generally among the highest or lowest in the range. The precise location of GUS activity in each tissue was identified by staining of whole leaves and tissue sections with a chromogenic substrate. This analysis demonstrated that with both the rolC and CoYMV promoters the reporter gene activity was primarily localised to vascular tissues, particularly the phloem. Our results indicate that both promoters would be suitable to drive the expression of transgenes to combat pests and diseases of apple that are dependent on interaction with the phloem.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Gittins
- Horticulture Research International, East Malling, West Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ, UK
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Kamo KK. Long-term expression of the uidA gene in Gladiolus plants under control of either the ubiquitin, rolD, mannopine synthase, or cauliflower mosaic virus promoters following three seasons of dormancy. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2003; 21:797-803. [PMID: 12789525 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-003-0578-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2002] [Revised: 11/25/2002] [Accepted: 11/26/2002] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
UidA silencing did not occur following three seasons of dormancy for 23 independently transformed lines of Gladiolus plants carrying the bar- uidA fusion gene under control of either the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV 35S), ubiquitin ( UBQ3), mannopine synthase ( mas2), or rolD promoters. The highest levels of GUS (beta-glucuronidase) expression were observed in callus, shoots, and roots of plants carrying the bar- uidA fusion gene under control of the CaMV 35S promoter and in shoots and roots of greenhouse-grown plants that contained the rolD promoter. There was no major difference in GUS expression when plants carrying the fusion gene driven by either the CaMV 35S, mas2, or UBQ3 promoters were grown in vitro as compared to growth in the greenhouse, although plants containing the rolD promoter expressed at 4- to 11-fold higher levels in shoots and roots, respectively, when grown in the greenhouse. The levels of GUS expression in greenhouse-grown plants were higher in roots than shoots for all four promoters. Of the 21 plants analyzed, 20 contained one to three copies of the bar- uidA fusion gene. Of the 23 plants analyzed, 11 had rearrangements of the transgene, but without apparent effects on levels of GUS expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- K K Kamo
- Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit, B-010A, Room 238, U.S. Department of Agriculture National Arboretum, BARC West, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
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13
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Chen C, Meyermans H, Burggraeve B, De Rycke RM, Inoue K, De Vleesschauwer V, Steenackers M, Van Montagu MC, Engler GJ, Boerjan WA. Cell-specific and conditional expression of caffeoyl-coenzyme A-3-O-methyltransferase in poplar. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2000; 123:853-67. [PMID: 10889235 PMCID: PMC59049 DOI: 10.1104/pp.123.3.853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/1999] [Accepted: 03/11/2000] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Caffeoyl coenzyme A-3-O-methyltransferase (CCoAOMT) plays an important role in lignin biosynthesis and is encoded by two genes in poplar (Populus trichocarpa). Here, we describe the expression pattern conferred by the two CCoAOMT promoters when fused to the gus-coding sequence in transgenic poplar (Populus tremula x Populus alba). Both genes were expressed similarly in xylem and differentially in phloem. In xylem, expression was preferentially observed in vessels and contact rays, whereas expression was barely detectable in storage rays and fibers, suggesting different routes to monolignol biosynthesis in the different xylem types. Furthermore, after wounding, fungal infection, and bending, the expression of both genes was induced concomitantly with de novo lignin deposition. Importantly, upon bending and leaning of the stem, the cell-specific expression pattern was lost, and both genes were expressed in all cell types of the xylem. CCoAOMT promoter activity correlated well with the presence of the CCoAOMT protein, as shown by immunolocalization. These expression data may explain, at least in part, the heterogeneity in lignin composition that is observed between cell types and upon different environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Chen
- Vakgroep Moleculaire Genetica & Departement Plantengenetica, Vlaams Interuniversitair Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Gent, Belgium
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14
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Tuominen H, Puech L, Regan S, Fink S, Olsson O, Sundberg B. Cambial-region-specific expression of the Agrobacterium iaa genes in transgenic aspen visualized by a linked uidA reporter gene. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2000; 123:531-42. [PMID: 10859183 PMCID: PMC59021 DOI: 10.1104/pp.123.2.531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/1999] [Accepted: 02/20/2000] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) was locally modified in cambial tissues of transgenic aspen (Populus tremula L. x Populus tremuloides Michx.). We also demonstrate the use of a linked reporter gene to visualize the expression of the iaa genes. The rate-limiting bacterial IAA-biosynthetic gene iaaM and the reporter gene for beta-glucuronidase (GUS), uidA, were each fused to the cambial-region-specific Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolC promoter and linked on the same T-DNA. In situ hybridization of the iaaM gene confirmed that histochemical analysis of GUS activity could be used to predict iaaM gene expression. Moreover, quantitative fluorometric analysis of GUS activity allowed estimation of the level of de novo production of IAA in transgenic lines carrying a single-copy insert of the iaaM, uidA T-DNA. Microscale analysis of the IAA concentration across the cambial region tissues showed an increase in IAA concentration of about 35% to 40% in the two transgenic lines, but no changes in the radial distribution pattern of IAA compared with wild-type plants. This increase did not result in any changes in the developmental pattern of cambial derivatives or the cambial growth rate, which emphasizes the importance of the radial distribution pattern of IAA in controlling the development of secondary xylem, and suggests that a moderate increase in IAA concentration does not necessarily stimulate growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Tuominen
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
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Franke R, McMichael CM, Meyer K, Shirley AM, Cusumano JC, Chapple C. Modified lignin in tobacco and poplar plants over-expressing the Arabidopsis gene encoding ferulate 5-hydroxylase. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000; 22:223-34. [PMID: 10849340 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.2000.00727.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Ferulate 5-hydroxylase (F5H) is a cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase that catalyses the hydroxylation of ferulic acid, coniferaldehyde and coniferyl alcohol in the pathways leading to sinapic acid and syringyl lignin biosynthesis. Earlier studies in Arabidopsis have demonstrated that F5H over-expression increases lignin syringyl monomer content and abolishes the tissue-specificity of its deposition. To determine whether this enzyme has a similar regulatory role in plants that undergo secondary growth, we over-expressed the F5H gene in tobacco and poplar. In tobacco, over-expression of F5H under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter increased lignin syringyl monomer content in petioles, but had no detectable effect on lignification in stems. By contrast, when the cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) promoter was used to drive F5H expression, there was a significant increase in stem lignin syringyl monomer content. Yields of thioglycolic acid and Klason lignin in C4H-F5H lines were lower than in the wild-type, suggesting that F5H over-expression leads to a reduced deposition or an altered extractability of lignin in the transgenic plants. Histochemical analysis suggested that the novel lignin in C4H-F5H transgenic lines was altered in its content of hydroxycinnamyl aldehydes. Transgenic poplar trees carrying the C4H-F5H transgene also displayed enhanced lignin syringyl monomer content. Taken together, these data show that hydroxylation of guaiacyl-substituted lignin precursors controls lignin monomer composition in woody plants, and that F5H over-expression is a viable metabolic engineering strategy for modifying lignin biosynthesis in forest species.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Franke
- Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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Regan S, Bourquin V, Tuominen H, Sundberg B. Accurate and high resolution in situ hybridization analysis of gene expression in secondary stem tissues. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1999; 19:363-9. [PMID: 10476083 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313x.1999.00536.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Accurate in situ hybridization analysis in secondary stem tissues of plants has been hindered by specific characteristics of these tissues. First, secondary cell walls non-specifically bind probes used for in situ hybridization thus preventing gene expression analysis in the lignified regions of the stem, such as the xylem. Second, the mRNA in the cambial meristem and its recent derivatives are prone to inadequate fixation when conventional techniques are used. Here we describe an in situ hybridization technique which uses fast freezing and freeze substitution to cryoimmobilize the mRNA followed by embedding in a methacrylate resin for high-resolution analysis of gene expression. By using a transgenic poplar line harbouring rolC:uidA, rolC:iaaM, the gene expression pattern could be compared with histochemical GUS staining. This in situ hybridization technique results in superior preservation of cellular contents, retention of mRNA in all cell types in the poplar stem, a significant reduction of non-specific binding to secondary cell walls and a resolution not previously possible in secondary tissues. This technique will be particularly valuable for the expression analysis of genes involved in xylogenesis and wood formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Regan
- Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå
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Tsai CJ, Popko JL, Mielke MR, Hu WJ, Podila GK, Chiang VL. Suppression of O-methyltransferase gene by homologous sense transgene in quaking aspen causes red-brown wood phenotypes. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 1998; 117:101-12. [PMID: 9576779 PMCID: PMC34993 DOI: 10.1104/pp.117.1.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/1997] [Accepted: 02/09/1998] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Homologous sense suppression of a gene encoding lignin pathway caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (CAOMT) in the xylem of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) resulted in transgenic plants exhibiting novel phenotypes with either mottled or complete red-brown coloration in their woody stems. These phenotypes appeared in all independent transgenic lines regenerated with a sense CAOMT construct but were absent from all plants produced with antisense CAOMT. The CAOMT sense transgene expression was undetectable, and the endogenous CAOMT transcript levels and enzyme activity were reduced in the xylem of some transgenic lines. In contrast, the sense transgene conferred overexpression of CAOMT and significant CAOMT activity in all of the transgenic plants' leaves and sclerenchyma, where normally the expression of the endogenous CAOMT gene is negligible. Thus, our results support the notion that the occurrence of sense cosuppression depends on the degree of sequence homology and endogene expression. Furthermore, the suppression of CAOMT in the xylem resulted in the incorporation of a higher amount of coniferyl aldehyde residues into the lignin in the wood of the sense plants. Characterization of the lignins isolated from these transgenic plants revealed that a high amount of coniferyl aldehyde is the origin of the red-brown coloration-a phenotype correlated with CAOMT-deficient maize (Zea mays L.) brown-midrib mutants.
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Somaclonal Genetics of Forest Trees. SOMACLONAL VARIATION AND INDUCED MUTATIONS IN CROP IMPROVEMENT 1998. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-015-9125-6_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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