MSGID: 1:317/3 64b0cf77   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Building a better forest tree with CRISPR gene editing    
      
     Date:   
         July 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         North Carolina State University   
     Summary:   
         Researchers use CRISPR techniques to modify lignin levels in   
         poplar trees.   
      
      
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   Researchers at North Carolina State University used a CRISPR gene-editing   
   system to breed poplar trees with reduced levels of lignin, the major   
   barrier to sustainable production of wood fibers, while improving their   
   wood properties. The findings -- published in the journal Science --   
   hold promise to make fiber production for everything from paper to   
   diapers greener, cheaper and more efficient.   
      
   Led by NC State CRISPR pioneer Rodolphe Barrangou and tree geneticist   
   Jack Wang, a team of researchers used predictive modeling to set goals   
   of lowering lignin levels, increasing the carbohydrate to lignin (C/L)   
   ratio, and increasing the ratio of two important lignin building blocks --   
   syringyl to guaiacyl (S/G) -- in poplar trees. These combined chemical   
   characteristics represent a fiber production sweet spot, Barrangou and   
   Wang say.   
      
   "We're using CRISPR to build a more sustainable forest," said Barrangou,   
   the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor of Food, Bioprocessing and   
   Nutrition Sciences at NC State and co-corresponding author of the paper.   
      
   "CRISPR systems provide the flexibility to edit more than just single   
   genes or gene families, allowing for greater improvement to wood   
   properties."  The machine-learning model predicted and then sorted   
   through almost 70,000 different gene-editing strategies targeting 21   
   important genes associated with lignin production -- some changing   
   multiple genes at a time -- to arrive at 347 strategies; more than 99%   
   of those strategies targeted at least three genes.   
      
   From there, the researchers selected the seven best strategies that   
   modeling suggested would lead to trees that would attain the chemical   
   sweet spot -- 35% less lignin than wild, or unmodified, trees; C/L ratios   
   that were more than 200% higher than wild trees; S/G ratios that were   
   also more than 200% higher than wild trees; and tree growth rates that   
   were similar to wild trees.   
      
   From these seven strategies, the researchers used CRISPR gene editing   
   to produce 174 lines of poplar trees. After six months in an NC State   
   greenhouse, an examination of those trees showed reduced lignin content   
   of up to 50% in some varieties, as well as a 228% increase in the C-L   
   ratio in others.   
      
   Interestingly, the researchers say, more significant lignin reductions   
   were shown in trees with four to six gene edits, although trees with   
   three gene edits showed lignin reduction of up to 32%. Single-gene edits   
   failed to reduce lignin content much at all, showing that using CRISPR   
   to make multigene changes could confer advantages in fiber production.   
      
   The study also included sophisticated pulp production mill models that   
   suggest reduced lignin content in trees could increase pulp yield and   
   reduce so-called black liquor, the major byproduct of pulping, which   
   could help mills produce up to 40% more sustainable fibers.   
      
   Finally, the efficiencies found in fiber production could reduce   
   greenhouse gases associated with pulp production by up to 20% if   
   reduced lignin and increased C/L and S/G ratios are achieved in trees   
   at industrial scale.   
      
   Forest trees represent the largest biogenic carbon sink on earth and   
   are paramount in efforts to curb climate change. They are pillars of our   
   ecosystems and the bioeconomy. In North Carolina, forestry contributes   
   over $35 billion to the local economy and supports approximately   
   140,000 jobs.   
      
   "Multiplex genome editing provides a remarkable opportunity to improve   
   forest resilience, productivity, and utilization at a time when our   
   natural resources are increasingly challenged by climate change and   
   the need to produce more sustainable biomaterials using less land,"   
   said Wang, assistant professor and director of the Forest Biotechnology   
   Group at NC State and co-corresponding author of the paper.   
      
   Next steps include continued greenhouse tests to see how the gene-edited   
   trees perform compared to wild trees. Later, the team hopes to use field   
   trials to gauge whether the gene-edited trees can handle the stresses   
   provided by life outdoors, outside the controlled greenhouse environment.   
      
   The researchers stressed the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration   
   that enabled this study, encompassing three NC State colleges, multiple   
   departments, the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, NC State's Molecular   
   Education, Technology and Research Innovation Center (METRIC), and   
   partner universities.   
      
   "An interdisciplinary approach to tree breeding that combines genetics,   
   computational biology, CRISPR tools, and bio-economics has profoundly   
   expanded our knowledge of tree growth, development, and forest   
   applications," said Daniel Sulis, a postdoctoral scholar at NC State and   
   the first author of the paper. "This powerful approach has transformed our   
   ability to unravel the complexity of tree genetics and deduce integrated   
   solutions that could improve ecologically and economically important   
   wood traits while reducing the carbon footprint of fiber production."   
   Building on the long-standing legacy of innovations in the fields of   
   plant sciences and forestry at NC State, Barrangou and Wang created a   
   startup company called TreeCo to advance the use of CRISPR technologies in   
   forest trees. This collaborative effort led by NC State faculty members   
   aims to combine tree genetic insights with the power of genome editing   
   to breed a healthier and more sustainable future.   
      
   Researchers from several NC State departments co-authored the paper, along   
   with researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,   
   Beihua University and Northeast Forestry University. Funding was provided   
   by National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department   
   of Agriculture - - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant   
   2018-67021-27716; the National Science Foundation Small Business   
   Technology Transfer Program grant 2044721; Cooperative State Research   
   Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant NCZ04214; North   
   Carolina Specialty Crop Block Grants 19-019-4018, 19-092-4012, and   
   20-070-4013; an NC State University Chancellor's Innovation Fund grant   
   190549MA; and an NC State University Goodnight Early Career Innovator   
   Award.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Mick   
   Kulikowski. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Daniel B. Sulis, Xiao Jiang, Chenmin Yang, Barbara M. Marques,   
      Megan L.   
      
         Matthews, Zachary Miller, Kai Lan, Carlos Cofre-Vega, Baoguang Liu,   
         Runkun Sun, Henry Sederoff, Ryan G. Bing, Xiaoyan Sun, Cranos M.   
      
         Williams, Hasan Jameel, Richard Phillips, Hou-min Chang,   
         Ilona Peszlen, Yung-Yun Huang, Wei Li, Robert M. Kelly, Ronald   
         R. Sederoff, Vincent L.   
      
         Chiang, Rodolphe Barrangou, Jack P. Wang. Multiplex CRISPR editing   
         of wood for sustainable fiber production. Science, 2023; 381   
         (6654): 216 DOI: 10.1126/science.add4514   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713141912.htm   
      
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