Variability studies of allochthonous stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) plantations in Chile through nut protein profiling

Stone Pine (Pinus pinea L.) High-Added-Value Genetics: An Overview

Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) has received limited attention in terms of genetic research. However, genomic techniques hold promise for decoding the stone pine genome and contributing to developing a more resilient bioeconomy. Retrotransposon and specific genetic markers are effective tools for determining population-specific genomic diversity. Studies on the transcriptome and proteome have identified differentially expressed genes PAS1, CLV1, ATAF1, and ACBF involved in shoot bud formation. The stone pine proteome shows variation among populations and shows the industrial potential of the enzyme pinosylvin. Microsatellite studies have revealed low levels of polymorphism and a unique genetic diversity in stone pine, which may contribute to its environmental adaptation. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses uncover the genetic and molecular responses of stone pine to fungal infections and nematode infestations, elucidating the defense activation, gene regulation, and the potential role of terpenes in pathogen resistance. Transcriptomics associated with carbohydrate metabolism, dehydrins, and transcription factors show promise as targets for improving stone pine's drought stress response and water retention capabilities. Stone pine presents itself as an important model tree for studying climate change adaptation due to its characteristics. While knowledge gaps exist, stone pine's genetic resources hold significant potential, and ongoing advancements in techniques offer prospects for future exploration.

Proteomics research in forest trees: A 2012-2022 update

This review is a compilation of proteomic studies on forest tree species published in the last decade (2012-2022), mostly focused on the most investigated species, including Eucalyptus, Pinus, and Quercus. Improvements in equipment, platforms, and methods in addition to the increasing availability of genomic data have favored the biological knowledge of these species at the molecular, organismal, and community levels. Integration of proteomics with physiological, biochemical and other large-scale omics in the direction of the Systems Biology, will provide a comprehensive understanding of different biological processes, from growth and development to responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. As main issue we envisage that proteomics in long-living plants will thrive light on the plant responses and resilience to global climate change, contributing to climate mitigation strategies and molecular breeding programs. Proteomics not only will provide a molecular knowledge of the mechanisms of resilience to either biotic or abiotic stresses, but also will allow the identification on key gene products and its interaction. Proteomics research has also a translational character being applied to the characterization of the variability and biodiversity, as well as to wood and non-wood derived products, traceability, allergen and bioactive peptides identification, among others. Even thought, the full potential of proteomics is far from being fully exploited in forest tree research, with PTMs and interactomics being reserved to plant model systems. The most outstanding achievements in forest tree proteomics in the last decade as well as prospects are discussed.

Climate Change Impacts on Pinus pinea L. Silvicultural System for Cone Production and Ways to Contour Those Impacts: A Review Complemented with Data from Permanent Plots

Umbrella pine (Pinus pinea L.) cones take three years to develop. With the increasing frequency of extreme droughts, water available for trees has decreased—climate change is a reality. The cone’s survival in its first two years of development and the average cone weight during its last year of maturation is affected, thus, reducing kernel quantity and quality. Climate change has resulted in forest fires becoming an inescapable issue in forest management planning. A literature review was carried out, focusing, on one hand, the predicted climatic changes for the Mediterranean basin and, on the other hand, the umbrella pine silvicultural mechanisms at tree, stand, and landscape levels that may help to face these constraints. Finally, the Portuguese case was focused, describing the management practices that are being adopted to achieve, even when the period of cone formation and growth include dry years, one to six tons of cones per hectare per year in adult stands.

Proteomics, Holm Oak (Quercus ilex L.) and Other Recalcitrant and Orphan Forest Tree Species: How do They See Each Other?

Proteomics has had a big impact on plant biology, considered as a valuable tool for several forest species, such as Quercus, Pines, Poplars, and Eucalyptus. This review assesses the potential and limitations of the proteomics approaches and is focused on Quercus ilex as a model species and other forest tree species. Proteomics has been used with Q. ilex since 2003 with the main aim of examining natural variability, developmental processes, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses as in other species of the genus Quercus or Pinus. As with the progress in techniques in proteomics in other plant species, the research in Q. ilex moved from 2-DE based strategy to the latest gel-free shotgun workflows. Experimental design, protein extraction, mass spectrometric analysis, confidence levels of qualitative and quantitative proteomics data, and their interpretation are a true challenge with relation to forest tree species due to their extreme orphan and recalcitrant (non-orthodox) nature. Implementing a systems biology approach, it is time to validate proteomics data using complementary techniques and integrate it with the -omics and classical approaches. The full potential of the protein field in plant research is quite far from being entirely exploited. However, despite the methodological limitations present in proteomics, there is no doubt that this discipline has contributed to deeper knowledge of plant biology and, currently, is increasingly employed for translational purposes.