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   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Study reveals how a tall spruce develops defense against hungry weevils   
      
      
     Date:   
         July 10, 2023   
     Source:   
         North Carolina State University   
     Summary:   
         A study has identified genes involved in development of stone   
         cells - - rigid cells that can block a nibbling insect from eating   
         budding branches of the Sitka spruce evergreen tree. The insect's   
         attack has stunted the growth of these forest giants.   
      
      
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   A study led by a North Carolina State University researcher identified   
   genes involved in development of stone cells -- rigid cells that can   
   block a nibbling insect from eating budding branches of the Sitka spruce   
   evergreen tree. The insect's attack has stunted the growth of these   
   forest giants.   
      
   The new findings could help researchers breed genetically improved Sitka   
   spruce trees resistant to the spruce weevil (Pissodes strobi).   
      
   "We wanted to learn about the genetic basis for natural pest   
   resistance that certain Sitka spruce trees have evolved to prevent   
   insects from feeding on the plant," said Justin Whitehill, assistant   
   professor of Christmas tree genetics at NC State and first author of   
   the study. Whitehill started the study as a postdoctoral researcher at   
   the University of British Columbia, where the laboratory experiments   
   were completed.   
      
   "The trait we studied in Sitka spruce is a physical defense known   
   as stone cells, which are found in almost all plant species," said   
   Whitehill. "They are responsible for the gritty texture you feel   
   when eating a pear. Stone cell development is very complex, involving   
   thousands of genes. We identified some of the genetics involved in the   
   key early steps for these cells' development."  The Sitka spruce is   
   a large conifer tree that grows on the West Coast from California to   
   Alaska. While the tree has been replaced with other species for timber   
   products in North America because of susceptibility to the weevil,   
   it is still a prominent timber species in Europe. Many trees grown on   
   the West Coast for forestry products were derived from a fast-growing   
   population that grew on an island and were never exposed to the weevil,   
   which left them extremely susceptible, Whitehill said.   
      
   However, a group of resistant Sitka spruce trees was discovered in   
   Canada that develop stone cells, a rigid cell type that only grow in   
   less than an inch of the top of budding branches -- the same area where   
   the weevil feeds.   
      
   "The stone cells slow down the progression of the insect and give time   
   for the resin found in the trees' bark to coat the insect and make it too   
   sticky to feed more," Whitehill said. "Stone cells block these insects as   
   they try to eat through the plant and slow them down enough to prevent   
   them from causing significant damage to the tree."  In their recent   
   study, researchers found nearly 1,300 genes that were expressed at higher   
   levels in stone cells. They also identified a key gene that functions as a   
   "master switch" and is responsible for activating thousands of other genes   
   known to control the development of thick-walled cells in other plants.   
      
   "This paper lays out a roadmap of the genes involved in stone-cell   
   development," Whitehill said. "We're showing it's strongly controlled   
   by genetics involved in secondary cell walls."  Key to the researchers'   
   study was a microdissection tool that uses a laser to cut extremely   
   tiny slices of tissue into thin sections. Researchers were able to cut   
   tiny sections from the buds of actively growing Sitka spruce branches to   
   study genes expressed specifically in stone cells during their formation.   
      
   Whitehill said he has received funding to bring an updated version of   
   this technology to NC State. Now, researchers here are using laser   
   microdissection to study genes in the Fraser fir tree -- a leading   
   Christmas tree in the United States grown in western North Carolina. They   
   are using this technology to investigate important features that could   
   boost the viability, fragrance and pest resilience of the Fraser fir,   
   a tree with a genome size five times bigger than humans.   
      
   "We're using this approach now to look for genes involved in resistance   
   to pathogens and pests, and to understand complex ecological interactions   
   at the genetic level," Whitehill said.   
      
   The paper, "Transcriptome features of stone cell development in weevil-   
   resistant and susceptible Sitka spruce," was published online in   
   New Phytologist. Co-authors included Macaire M.S. Yuen, Angela Chiang   
   (current NC State Christmas Tree Genetics program lab manager and research   
   associate), Carol E. Ritland and Jo"rg Bohlmann. The work was supported   
   by funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of   
   Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grants Program, and from the Genome Canada,   
   Genome British Columbia, and Genome Quebec SpruceUp Project (243FOR).   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided   
   by North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Laura   
   Oleniacz. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Justin G. A. Whitehill, Macaire M. S. Yuen, Angela Chiang, Carol E.   
      
         Ritland, Jo"rg Bohlmann. Transcriptome features of stone cell   
         development in weevil‐resistant and susceptible Sitka   
         spruce. New Phytologist, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/nph.19103   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230710113929.htm   
      
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