Biotech Updates

PdGA20ox1 from Japanese Red Pine Improves Woody Biomass Production in Poplar

November 11, 2015
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.12484/full

Woody biomass has gained popularity as a renewable resource for liquid fuel production. Hyung-Woo Jeon of the Kyung Hee University in South Korea, together with colleagues, present the improvement of woody biomass through developing xylem (DX)-preferential production of gibberellin (GA), a hormone that regulates stem growth.

The team produced transgenic Arabidopsis expressing GA20-oxidase, a key enzyme in the production of GA, from Pinus densiflora (PdGA20ox1) under two different promoters, one from Pinus densiflora and another from Poplar. Both transgenic plants exhibited accelerated stem growth and an increase in biomass compared to control plants.

Transgenic poplar trees were then developed using the same genes. The transgenics also showed increases in biomass and accelerated stem growth and xylem differentiation. However, transgenic plants with the PdGA20ox1 gene under the promoter from poplar had undesirable phenotypes including poor root growth and leaf development.

The results indicate that the controlled production of GA through a tissue-specific promoter can be used as a tool for enhancing plant biomass.