One gene lets trees make both wood fiber and vitamin C
Guevara-Rozo S, Mansfield SD
Crispr
The next time you tap a maple or admire a tree's tough bark, you're seeing the output of a single gene family that also stockpiles the tree's vitamin C reserves, a discovery that could help breeders grow trees with denser wood without robbing them of stress-fighting antioxidants.
Trees build two very different things, tough fiber called mannan and vitamin C, using the same starter ingredient, a sugar called GDP-mannose. Researchers pinpointed the exact genes in poplar and spruce trees that make this sugar, then tested what happens when they switch the gene off or crank it up. Turning it off in poplar cut vitamin C nearly in half and reduced fiber content, while boosting the gene in a different way increased fiber without touching vitamin C, and neither change stunted the trees' growth.
Key Findings
CRISPR knockout of PtaGMP1 in poplar reduced mannan content by 20% and ascorbic acid by 47%
Overexpressing spruce gene PgGMP1 in poplar increased mannan by 14% with no significant change in ascorbic acid
Both poplar PtaGMP1 and spruce PgGMP1 restored normal mannan levels when tested in a mutant Arabidopsis plant lacking this pathway
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found the gene in poplar and spruce trees responsible for building the sugar molecule used to make both wood fiber (mannan) and vitamin C. Turning that gene off cut vitamin C production nearly in half, showing trees use overlapping machinery for structural and nutritional needs.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Identification of poplar and spruce GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylases involved in mannan and ascorbic acid biosynthesis.
Mannans are hemicellulosic polysaccharides integral to plant growth and development, yet their functions in trees and the regulation of their synthesis remain poorly understood. Here, we investigat...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Gene editing removes 97% of celiac-triggering proteins from bread wheat
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
Populus is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar, aspen, and cottonwood.