scholarly journals Ethylene signaling induces gelatinous layers with typical features of tension wood in hybrid aspen

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Felten ◽  
Jorma Vahala ◽  
Jonathan Love ◽  
András Gorzsás ◽  
Markus Rüggeberg ◽  
...  

SummaryResearch conductedThe phytohormone ethylene impacts secondary stem growth in plants by stimulating cambial activity, xylem development and fiber over vessel formation. Here we report the effect of ethylene on secondary cell wall formation and the molecular connection between ethylene signaling and wood formation.MethodsWe applied exogenous ethylene or its precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) to wild type and ethylene insensitive hybrid aspen trees (Populus tremula x tremuloides) and studied secondary cell wall anatomy, chemistry and ultrastructure. We furthermore analyzed the transcriptome (RNA Seq) after ACC application to wild type and ethylene insensitive trees.Key resultsWe demonstrate that ACC and ethylene induce gelatinous-layers (G-layers) and alter the fiber cell wall cellulose microfibril angle. G-layers are tertiary wall layers rich in cellulose, typically found in tension wood of aspen trees. A vast majority of transcripts affected by ACC are downstream of ethylene perception and include a large number of transcription factors (TFs). Motif-analyses reveal potential connections between ethylene TFs (ERFs, EIN3/EIL1) and wood formation.ConclusionG-layer formation upon ethylene application suggests that the increase in ethylene biosynthesis observed during tension wood formation is important for its formation. Ethylene-regulated TFs of the ERF and EIN3/EIL1 type could transmit the ethylene signal.

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1002
Author(s):  
Shenquan Cao ◽  
Cong Wang ◽  
Huanhuan Ji ◽  
Mengjie Guo ◽  
Jiyao Cheng ◽  
...  

Secondary cell wall (SCW) deposition is an important process during wood formation. Although aspartic proteases (APs) have been reported to have regulatory roles in herbaceous plants, the involvement of atypical APs in SCW deposition in trees has not been reported. In this study, we characterised the Populus trichocarpa atypical AP gene PtAP66, which is involved in wood SCW deposition. Transcriptome data from the AspWood resource showed that in the secondary xylem of P. trichocarpa, PtAP66 transcripts increased from the vascular cambium to the xylem cell expansion region and maintained high levels in the SCW formation region. Fluorescent signals from transgenic Arabidopsis plant roots and transiently transformed P. trichocarpa leaf protoplasts strongly suggested that the PtAP66-fused fluorescent protein (PtAP66-GFP or PtAP66-YFP) localised in the plasma membrane. Compared with the wild-type plants, the Cas9/gRNA-induced PtAP66 mutants exhibited reduced SCW thickness of secondary xylem fibres, as suggested by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data. In addition, wood composition assays revealed that the cellulose content in the mutants decreased by 4.90–5.57%. Transcription analysis further showed that a loss of PtAP66 downregulated the expression of several SCW synthesis-related genes, including cellulose and hemicellulose synthesis enzyme-encoding genes. Altogether, these findings indicate that atypical PtAP66 plays an important role in SCW deposition during wood formation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongil Yang ◽  
Chang Geun Yoo ◽  
William Rottmann ◽  
Kimberly A. Winkeler ◽  
Cassandra M. Collins ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Plant secondary cell wall is a renewable feedstock for biofuels and biomaterials production. Arabidopsis VASCULAR-RELATED NAC DOMAIN (VND) has been demonstrated to be a key transcription factor regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis. However, less is known about its role in the woody species. Results Here we report the functional characterization of Populus deltoides WOOD-ASSOCIATED NAC DOMAIN protein 3 (PdWND3A), a sequence homolog of Arabidopsis VND4 and VND5 that are members of transcription factor networks regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis. PdWND3A was expressed at higher level in the xylem than in other tissues. The stem tissues of transgenic P. deltoides overexpressing PdWND3A (OXPdWND3A) contained more vessel cells than that of wild-type plants. Furthermore, lignin content and lignin monomer syringyl and guaiacyl (S/G) ratio were higher in OXPdWND3A transgenic plants than in wild-type plants. Consistent with these observations, the expression of FERULATE 5-HYDROXYLASE1 (F5H1), encoding an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of sinapyl alcohol (S unit monolignol), was elevated in OXPdWND3A transgenic plants. Saccharification analysis indicated that the rate of sugar release was reduced in the transgenic plants. In addition, OXPdWND3A transgenic plants produced lower amounts of biomass than wild-type plants. Conclusions PdWND3A affects lignin biosynthesis and composition and negatively impacts sugar release and biomass production.


2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 1029-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Gindl ◽  
H S Gupta ◽  
C Grünwald

The lignin content and the mechanical properties of lignifying and fully lignified spruce tracheid secondary cell walls were determined using UV microscopy and nano-indentation, respectively. The average lignin content of developing tracheids was 0.10 g·g–1, as compared with 0.21 g·g–1 in mature tracheids. The modulus of elasticity of developing cells was on average 22% lower than the one measured in mature, fully lignified cells. For the longitudinal hardness, a larger difference of 26% was observed. As lignifying cells in the cambial zone are undergoing cell wall development, spaces in the cellulose–hemicellulose structure are filled with lignin and the density of the cell wall is believed to increase. It is therefore suggested that the observed difference in modulus of elasticity between developing and fully lignified cell walls is due to the filling of spaces with lignin and an increase of the packing density of the cell wall during lignification. Although remarkably less stiff than the composite polysaccharide structure in the secondary cell wall, lignin may be considered equally hard. Therefore, the observed increase in lignin content may contribute directly to the measured increase of hardness.Key words: secondary cell wall, hardness, lignin, modulus of elasticity, wood formation.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1618
Author(s):  
Sheng Yao ◽  
Peizhen Chen ◽  
Ye Yu ◽  
Mengyang Zhang ◽  
Dengbao Wang ◽  
...  

Wood formation originates in the biosynthesis of lignin and further leads to secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis in woody plants. Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb) is an economically important industrial timber tree, and its wood yield affects the stable development of the paper industry. However, the regulatory mechanisms of SCW formation in Masson pine are still unclear. In this study, we characterized PmMYB4, which is a Pinus massoniana MYB gene involved in SCW biosynthesis. The open reading frame (ORF) of PmMYB4 was 1473 bp, which encoded a 490 aa protein and contained two distinctive R2 and R3 MYB domains. It was shown to be a transcription factor, with the highest expression in semi-lignified stems. We overexpressed PmMYB4 in tobacco. The results indicated that PmMYB4 overexpression increased lignin deposition, SCW thickness, and the expression of genes involved in SCW formation. Further analysis indicated that PmMYB4 bound to AC-box motifs and might directly activate the promoters of genes (PmPAL and PmCCoAOMT) involved in SCW biosynthesis. In addition, PmMYB4-OE(over expression) transgenic lines had higher lignin and cellulose contents and gene expression than control plants, indicating that PmMYB4 regulates SCW mainly by targeting lignin biosynthetic genes. In summary, this study illustrated the MYB-induced SCW mechanism in Masson pine and will facilitate enhanced lignin and cellulose synthesis in genetically engineered trees.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yu ◽  
Huizi Liu ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Caiqiu Gao ◽  
Liwang Qi ◽  
...  

The MYB (v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog) family is one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, and is widely involved in the regulation of plant metabolism. In this study, we show that a MYB4 transcription factor, BpMYB4, identified from birch (Betula platyphylla Suk.) and homologous to EgMYB1 from Eucalyptus robusta Smith and ZmMYB31 from Zea mays L. is involved in secondary cell wall synthesis. The expression level of BpMYB4 was higher in flowers relative to other tissues, and was induced by artificial bending and gravitational stimuli in developing xylem tissues. The expression of this gene was not enriched in the developing xylem during the active season, and showed higher transcript levels in xylem tissues around sprouting and near the dormant period. BpMYB4 also was induced express by abiotic stress. Functional analysis indicated that expression of BpMYB4 in transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants could promote the growth of stems, and result in increased number of inflorescence stems and shoots. Anatomical observation of stem sections showed lower lignin deposition, and a chemical contents test also demonstrated increased cellulose and decreased lignin content in the transgenic plants. In addition, treatment with 100 mM NaCl and 200 mM mannitol resulted in the germination rate of the over-expressed lines being higher than that of the wild-type seeds. The proline content in transgenic plants was higher than that in WT, but MDA content was lower than that in WT. Further investigation in birch using transient transformation techniques indicated that overexpression of BpMYB4 could scavenge hydrogen peroxide and O2.– and reduce cell damage, compared with the wild-type plants. Therefore, we believe that BpMYB4 promotes stem development and cellulose biosynthesis as an inhibitor of lignin biosynthesis, and has a function in abiotic stress resistance.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (6) ◽  
pp. 1488-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Maria Egelseer ◽  
Karl Leitner ◽  
Marina Jarosch ◽  
Christoph Hotzy ◽  
Sonja Zayni ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Two Bacillus stearothermophilus wild-type strains were investigated regarding a common recognition and binding mechanism between the S-layer protein and the underlying cell envelope layer. The S-layer protein from B. stearothermophilusPV72/p6 has a molecular weight of 130,000 and assembles into a hexagonally ordered lattice. The S-layer from B. stearothermophilus ATCC 12980 shows oblique lattice symmetry and is composed of subunits with a molecular weight of 122,000. Immunoblotting, peptide mapping, N-terminal sequencing of the whole S-layer protein from B. stearothermophilus ATCC 12980 and of proteolytic cleavage fragments, and comparison with the S-layer protein from B. stearothermophilus PV72/p6 revealed that the two S-layer proteins have identical N-terminal regions but no other extended structurally homologous domains. In contrast to the heterogeneity observed for the S-layer proteins, the secondary cell wall polymer isolated from peptidoglycan-containing sacculi of the different strains showed identical chemical compositions and comparable molecular weights. The S-layer proteins could bind and recrystallize into the appropriate lattice type on native peptidoglycan-containing sacculi from both organisms but not on those extracted with hydrofluoric acid, leading to peptidoglycan of the A1γ chemotype. Affinity studies showed that only proteolytic cleavage fragments possessing the complete N terminus of the mature S-layer proteins recognized native peptidoglycan-containing sacculi as binding sites or could associate with the isolated secondary cell wall polymer, while proteolytic cleavage fragments missing the N-terminal region remained unbound. From the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that S-layer proteins from B. stearothermophilus wild-type strains possess an identical N-terminal region which is responsible for anchoring the S-layer subunits to a secondary cell wall polymer of identical chemical composition.


2005 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 983-997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Aspeborg ◽  
Jarmo Schrader ◽  
Pedro M. Coutinho ◽  
Mark Stam ◽  
Åsa Kallas ◽  
...  

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