Transcript Accumulation Dynamics of Phenylpropanoid Pathway Genes in the Maturing Xylem and Phloem of Picea abies during Latewood Formation

Localized stem heating from the rest to growth phase induces latewood-like cell formation and slower stem radial growth in Norway spruce saplings

Recent climate projections predict a more rapid increase of winter temperature than summer and global temperature averages in temperate and cold environments. As there is relatively little experimental knowledge on the effect of winter warming on cambium phenology and stem growth in species growing in cold environments, the setting of manipulative experiments is considered of primary importance, and they can help to decipher the effect of reduced winter chilling and increased forcing temperatures on cambium reactivation, growth and xylem traits. In this study, localized stem heating was applied to investigate the effect of warming from the rest to the growth phase on cambium phenology, intra-annual stem growth dynamics and ring wood features in Picea abies (L.) H.Karst. We hypothesized that reduced winter chilling induces a postponed cambium dormancy release and decrease of stem growth, while high temperature during cell wall lignification determines an enrichment of latewood-like cells. The heating device was designed to maintain a +5 °C temperature delta with respect to air temperature, thus allowing an authentic scenario of warming. Continuous stem heating from the rest (November) to the growing phase determined, at the beginning of radial growth, a reduction of the number of cell layers in the cambium, higher number of cell layers in the wall thickening phase and an asynchronous stem radial growth when comparing heated and ambient saplings. Nevertheless, heating did not induce changes in the number of produced cell layers at the end of the growing season. The analyses of two-photon fluorescence images showed that woody rings formed during heating were enriched with latewood-like cells. Our results showed that an increase of 5 °C of temperature applied to the stem from the rest to growth might not influence, as generally reported, onset of cambial activity, but it could affect xylem morphology of Norway spruce in mountain environments.

Wood Formation under Changing Environment: Omics Approaches to Elucidate the Mechanisms Driving the Early-to-Latewood Transition in Conifers

The global change scenarios highlight the urgency of clarifying the mechanisms driving the determination of wood traits in forest trees. Coniferous xylem is characterized by the alternation between earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW), on which proportions the wood density depend, one of the most important mechanical xylem qualities. However, the molecular mechanisms triggering the transition between the production of cells with the typical features of EW to the LW are still far from being completely elucidated. The increasing availability of omics resources for conifers, e.g., genomes and transcriptomes, would lay the basis for the comprehension of wood formation dynamics, boosting both breeding and gene-editing approaches. This review is intended to introduce the importance of wood formation dynamics and xylem traits of conifers in a changing environment. Then, an up-to-date overview of the omics resources available for conifers was reported, focusing on both genomes and transcriptomes. Later, an analysis of wood formation studies using omics approaches was conducted, with the aim of elucidating the main metabolic pathways involved in EW and LW determination. Finally, the future perspectives and the urgent needs on this research topic were highlighted.

Transcriptomic Analysis of Seasonal Gene Expression and Regulation during Xylem Development in “Shanxin” Hybrid Poplar (Populus davidiana × Populus bolleana)

Xylem development is a key process for wood formation in woody plants. To study the molecular regulatory mechanisms related to xylem development in hybrid poplar P. davidiana × P. bolleana, transcriptome analyses were conducted on developing xylem at six different growth stages within a single growing season. Xylem development and differentially expressed genes in the six time points were selected for a regulatory analysis. Xylem development was observed in stem sections at different growth stages, which showed that xylem development extended from the middle of April to early August and included cell expansion and secondary cell wall biosynthesis. An RNA-seq analysis of six samples with three replicates was performed. After transcriptome assembly and annotation, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and a Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and expression analysis of the DEGs were performed on each sample. On average, we obtained >20 million clean reads per sample, which were assembled into 84,733 nonredundant transcripts, of which there were 17,603 unigenes with lengths >1 kb. There were 14,890 genes that were differentially expressed among the six stages. The upregulated DEGs were enriched in GO terms related to cell wall biosynthesis between S1 vs. S2 or S3 vs. S4 and, in GO terms, related to phytohormones in the S1 vs. S2 or S4 vs. S5 comparisons. The downregulated DEGs were enriched in GO terms related to cell wall biosynthesis between S4 vs. S5 or S5 vs. S6 and, in GO terms, related to hormones between S1 vs. S2 or S2 vs. S3. The KEGG pathways in the DEGs related to “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis”, “plant hormone signal transduction” and “starch and sucrose metabolism” were significantly enriched among the different stages. The DEGs related to cell expansion, polysaccharide metabolism and synthesis, lignin synthesis, transcription factors and hormones were identified. The identification of genes involved in the regulation of xylem development will increase our understanding of the molecular regulation of wood formation in trees and, also, offers potential targets for genetic manipulation to improve the properties of wood.

Characterization of bio-oil and bio-char produced by low-temperature microwave-assisted pyrolysis of olive pruning residue using various absorbers

Olive pruning residue is largely formed during cultivation, and is usually disposed through open-air combustion directly in the field, but this habit is a possible source of pollution. The pyrolytic conversion of olive pruning residue has been run in a new and very appealing way using microwave as a heating source and different microwave absorbers in a multimode batch reactor. In this way, olive residue is converted into interesting bio-chemical products with a short pyrolysis time, ranging from 15 to 36 min, and with a peak temperature ranging from 450 K to 705 K according to the different microwave absorber. Thus, a very efficient and selective system was realized, which was able to address the process towards the formation of a large amount of bio-char (up to 61.2%) or a high formation of bio-oil (56.2%) and gas (41.7%) with a very low formation of bio-char (2.1%). However, when carbon and iron were used as microwave absorbers, it was possible to obtain an intermediate amount of bio-char (26-30%) and bio-oil (40 wt%). Bio-oils were collected as dark-brown liquids with low viscosity and density. A bio-oil with a low water concentration was obtained using carbon or iron as the microwave absorber. The bio-oils formed in all experiments contained a very large amount of acetic acid, even when NaOH was the microwave absorber. Furthermore, a large amount of aromatics were present in the bio-oil obtained using carbon as the microwave absorber.

Monitoring intra-annual dynamics of wood formation with microcores and dendrometers in Picea abies at two different altitudes

Seasonal analyses of cambial cell production and day-by-day stem radial increment can help to elucidate how climate modulates wood formation in conifers. Intra-annual dynamics of wood formation were determined with microcores and dendrometers and related to climatic signals in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The seasonal dynamics of these processes were observed at two sites of different altitude, Savignano (650 m a.s.l.) and Lavazè (1800 m a.s.l.) in the Italian Alps. Seasonal dynamics of cambial activity were found to be site specific, indicating that the phenology of cambial cell production is highly variable and plastic with altitude. There was a site-specific trend in the number of cells in the wall thickening phase, with the maximum cell production in early July (DOY 186) at Savignano and in mid-July (DOY 200) at Lavazè. The formation of mature cells showed similar trends at the two sites, although different numbers of cells and timing of cell differentiation were visible in the model shapes; at the end of ring formation in 2010, the number of cells was four times higher at Savignano (106.5 cells) than at Lavazè (26.5 cells). At low altitudes, microcores and dendrometers described the radial growth patterns comparably, though the dendrometer function underlined the higher upper asymptote of maximum growth in comparison with the cell production function. In contrast, at high altitude, these functions exhibited different trends. The best model was obtained by fitting functions of the Gompertz model to the experimental data. By combining radial growth and cambial activity indices we defined a model system able to synchronize these processes. Processes of adaptation of the pattern of xylogenesis occurred, enabling P. abies to occupy sites with contrasting climatic conditions. The use of daily climatic variables in combination with plant functional traits obtained by sensors and/or destructive sampling could provide a suitable tool to better investigate the effect of disturbances on response strategies in trees and, consequently, contribute to improving our prediction of tree growth and species resilience based on climate scenarios.

How do drought and warming influence survival and wood traits of Picea mariana saplings?

Warming and drought will occur with increased frequency and intensity at high latitudes in the future. How heat and water stress can influence tree mortality is incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate how carbon resources, stem hydraulics, and wood anatomy and density determine the ability of black spruce saplings to survive daytime or night-time warming (+ 6 °C in comparison with control) in combination with a drought period. Plant water relations, the dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates and starch, mortality rate, and wood anatomy and density of saplings were monitored. Warming, in conjunction with 25 d of water deficit, increased sapling mortality (10% and 20% in night-time and daytime warming, respectively) compared with the control conditions (0.8%). Drought substantially decreased gas exchange, and also pre-dawn and mid-day leaf water potential to values close to -3MPa which probably induced xylem embolism (xylem air entry point, P₁₂, being on average around -3MPa for this species). In addition, the recovery of gas exchange never reached the initial pre-stress levels, suggesting a possible loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity associated with cavitation. Consequently, mortality may be due to xylem hydraulic failure. Warmer temperatures limited the replenishment of starch reserves after their seasonal minimum. Lighter wood was formed during the drought period, reflecting a lower carbon allocation to cell wall formation, preventing the adaptation of the hydraulic system to drought. Saplings of black spruce experienced difficulty in adapting under climate change conditions, which might compromise their survival in the future.

Transcriptome characteristics and six alternative expressed genes positively correlated with the phase transition of annual cambial activities in Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook)

Background

The molecular mechanisms that govern cambial activity in angiosperms are well established, but little is known about these molecular mechanisms in gymnosperms. Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook), a diploid (2n  = 2x  = 22) gymnosperm, is one of the most important industrial and commercial timber species in China. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing to identify the repertoire of genes expressed in cambium tissue of Chinese fir.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Based on previous studies, the four stage-specific cambial tissues of Chinese fir were defined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In total, 20 million sequencing reads (3.6 Gb) were obtained using Illumina sequencing from Chinese fir cambium tissue collected at active growth stage, with a mean length of 131 bp and a N50 of 90 bp. SOAPdenovo software was used to assemble 62,895 unigenes. These unigenes were further functionally annotated by comparing their sequences to public protein databases. Expression analysis revealed that the altered expression of six homologous genes (ClWOX1, ClWOX4, ClCLV1-like, ClCLV-like, ClCLE12, and ClPIN1-like) correlated positively with changes in cambial activities; moreover, these six genes might be directly involved in cambial function in Chinese fir. Further, the full-length cDNAs and DNAs for ClWOX1 and ClWOX4 were cloned and analyzed.

Conclusions

In this study, a large number of tissue/stage-specific unigene sequences were generated from the active growth stage of Chinese fir cambium. Transcriptome sequencing of Chinese fir not only provides extensive genetic resources for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cambial activities in Chinese fir, but also is expected to be an important foundation for future genetic studies of Chinese fir. This study indicates that ClWOX1 and ClWOX4 could be possible reverse genetic target genes for revealing the molecular mechanisms of cambial activities in Chinese fir.

Poplar wood rays are involved in seasonal remodeling of tree physiology

Understanding seasonality and longevity is a major challenge in tree biology. In woody species, growth phases and dormancy follow one another consecutively. In the oldest living individuals, the annual cycle may run for more than 1,000 years. So far, however, not much is known about the processes triggering reactivation from dormancy. In this study, we focused on wood rays, which are known to play an important role in tree development. The transition phase from dormancy to flowering in early spring was compared with the phase of active growth in summer. Rays from wood samples of poplar (Populus × canescens) were enriched by laser microdissection, and transcripts were monitored by poplar whole-genome microarrays. The resulting seasonally varying complex expression and metabolite patterns were subjected to pathway analyses. In February, the metabolic pathways related to flower induction were high, indicating that reactivation from dormancy was already taking place at this time of the year. In July, the pathways related to active growth, like lignin biosynthesis, nitrogen assimilation, and defense, were enriched. Based on "marker" genes identified in our pathway analyses, we were able to validate periodical changes in wood samples by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. These studies, and the resulting ray database, provide new insights into the steps underlying the seasonality of poplar trees.