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Tension Wood (tension + wood)
Selected AbstractsTension wood as a model for functional genomics of wood formationNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2004Gilles Pilate Summary Wood is a complex and highly variable tissue, the formation of which is developmentally and environmentally regulated. In reaction to gravitropic stimuli, angiosperm trees differentiate tension wood, a wood with specific anatomical, chemical and mechanical features. In poplar the most significant of these features is an additional layer that forms in the secondary wall of tension wood fibres. This layer is mainly constituted of cellulose microfibrils oriented nearly parallel to the fibre axis. Tension wood formation can be induced easily and strongly by bending the stem of a tree. Located at the upper side of the bent stem, tension wood can be compared with the wood located on its lower side. Therefore tension wood represents an excellent model for studying the formation of xylem cell walls. This review summarizes results recently obtained in the field of genomics on tension wood. In addition, we present an example of how the application of functional genomics to tension wood can help decipher the molecular mechanisms responsible for cell wall characteristics such as the orientation of cellulose microfibrils. [source] An Overview of the Biology of Reaction Wood FormationJOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Sheng Du Abstract Reaction wood possesses altered properties and performs the function of regulating a tree's form, but it is a serious defect in wood utility. Trees usually develop reaction wood in response to a gravistimulus. Reaction wood in gymnosperms is referred to as compression wood and develops on the lower side of leaning stems or branches. In arboreal, dicotyledonous angiosperms, however, it is called tension wood and is formed on the upper side of the leaning. Exploring the biology of reaction wood formation is of great value for the understanding of the wood differentiation mechanisms, cambial activity, gravitropism, and the systematics and evolution of plants. After giving an outline of the variety of wood and properties of reaction wood, this review lays emphasis on various stimuli for reaction wood induction and the extensive studies carried out so far on the roles of plant hormones in reaction wood formation. Inconsistent results have been reported for the effects of plant hormones. Both auxin and ethylene regulate the formation of compression wood in gymnosperms. However, the role of ethylene may be indirect as exogenous ethylene cannot induce compression wood formation. Tension wood formation is mainly regulated by auxin and gibberellin. Interactions among hormones and other substances may play important parts in the regulation of reaction wood formation. [source] Tension wood as a model for functional genomics of wood formationNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2004Gilles Pilate Summary Wood is a complex and highly variable tissue, the formation of which is developmentally and environmentally regulated. In reaction to gravitropic stimuli, angiosperm trees differentiate tension wood, a wood with specific anatomical, chemical and mechanical features. In poplar the most significant of these features is an additional layer that forms in the secondary wall of tension wood fibres. This layer is mainly constituted of cellulose microfibrils oriented nearly parallel to the fibre axis. Tension wood formation can be induced easily and strongly by bending the stem of a tree. Located at the upper side of the bent stem, tension wood can be compared with the wood located on its lower side. Therefore tension wood represents an excellent model for studying the formation of xylem cell walls. This review summarizes results recently obtained in the field of genomics on tension wood. In addition, we present an example of how the application of functional genomics to tension wood can help decipher the molecular mechanisms responsible for cell wall characteristics such as the orientation of cellulose microfibrils. [source] Stress generation in the tension wood of poplar is based on the lateral swelling power of the G-layerTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008Luna Goswami Summary The mechanism of active stress generation in tension wood is still not fully understood. To characterize the functional interdependency between the G-layer and the secondary cell wall, nanostructural characterization and mechanical tests were performed on native tension wood tissues of poplar (Populus nigra × Populus deltoids) and on tissues in which the G-layer was removed by an enzymatic treatment. In addition to the well-known axial orientation of the cellulose fibrils in the G-layer, it was shown that the microfibril angle of the S2-layer was very large (about 36°). The removal of the G-layer resulted in an axial extension and a tangential contraction of the tissues. The tensile stress,strain curves of native tension wood slices showed a jagged appearance after yield that could not be seen in the enzyme-treated samples. The behaviour of the native tissue was modelled by assuming that cells deform elastically up to a critical strain at which the G-layer slips, causing a drop in stress. The results suggest that tensile stresses in poplar are generated in the living plant by a lateral swelling of the G-layer which forces the surrounding secondary cell wall to contract in the axial direction. [source] Biosynthesis of cellulose-enriched tension wood in Populus: global analysis of transcripts and metabolites identifies biochemical and developmental regulators in secondary wall biosynthesisTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006Sara Andersson-Gunnerås Summary Stems and branches of angiosperm trees form tension wood (TW) when exposed to a gravitational stimulus. One of the main characteristics of TW, which distinguishes it from normal wood, is the formation of fibers with a thick inner gelatinous cell wall layer mainly composed of crystalline cellulose. Hence TW is enriched in cellulose, and deficient in lignin and hemicelluloses. An expressed sequence tag library made from TW-forming tissues in Populus tremula (L.) × tremuloides (Michx.) and data from transcript profiling using microarray and metabolite analysis were obtained during TW formation in Populus tremula (L.) in two growing seasons. The data were examined with the aim of identifying the genes responsible for the change in carbon (C) flow into various cell wall components, and the mechanisms important for the formation of the gelatinous cell wall layer (G-layer). A specific effort was made to identify carbohydrate-active enzymes with a putative function in cell wall biosynthesis. An increased C flux to cellulose was suggested by a higher abundance of sucrose synthase transcripts. However, genes related to the cellulose biosynthetic machinery were not generally affected, although the expression of secondary wall-specific CesA genes was modified in both directions. Other pathways for which the data suggested increased activity included lipid and glucosamine biosynthesis and the pectin degradation machinery. In addition, transcripts encoding fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins were particularly increased and found to lack true Arabidopsis orthologs. Major pathways for which the transcriptome and metabolome analysis suggested decreased activity were the pathway for C flux through guanosine 5,-diphosphate (GDP) sugars to mannans, the pentose phosphate pathway, lignin biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of cell wall matrix carbohydrates. Several differentially expressed auxin- and ethylene-related genes and transcription factors were also identified. [source] Environmental and auxin regulation of wood formation involves members of the Aux/IAA gene family in hybrid aspenTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2002Richard Moyle Summary Indole acetic acid (IAA/auxin) profoundly affects wood formation but the molecular mechanism of auxin action in this process remains poorly understood. We have cloned cDNAs for eight members of the Aux/IAA gene family from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × Populus tremuloides Michx.) that encode potential mediators of the auxin signal transduction pathway. These genes designated as PttIAA1-PttIAA8 are auxin inducible but differ in their requirement of de novo protein synthesis for auxin induction. The auxin induction of the PttIAA genes is also developmentally controlled as evidenced by the loss of their auxin inducibility during leaf maturation. The PttIAA genes are differentially expressed in the cell types of a developmental gradient comprising the wood-forming tissues. Interestingly, the expression of the PttIAA genes is downregulated during transition of the active cambium into dormancy, a process in which meristematic cells of the cambium lose their sensitivity to auxin. Auxin-regulated developmental reprogramming of wood formation during the induction of tension wood is accompanied by changes in the expression of PttIAA genes. The distinct tissue-specific expression patterns of the auxin inducible PttIAA genes in the cambial region together with the change in expression during dormancy transition and tension wood formation suggest a role for these genes in mediating cambial responses to auxin and xylem development. [source] | ||||||||||