Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2012
Authors
Nina Elisabeth Nagy Harald Kvaalen Monica Fongen Carl Gunnar Fossdal Nicholas Clarke Halvor Solheim Ari HietalaAbstract
Pathogen challenge of tree sapwood induces the formation of reaction zones with antimicrobial properties such as elevated pH and cation content. Many fungi lower substrate pH by secreting oxalic acid, its conjugate base oxalate being a reductant as well as a chelating agent for cations. To examine the role of oxalic acid in pathogenicity of white-rot fungi, we conducted spatial quantification of oxalate, transcript levels of related fungal genes, and element concentrations in heartwood of Norway spruce challenged naturally by Heterobasidion parviporum. In the pathogen-compromised reaction zone, upregulation of an oxaloacetase gene generating oxalic acid coincided with oxalate and cation accumulation and presence of calcium oxalate crystals. The colonized inner heartwood showed trace amounts of oxalate. Moreover, fungal exposure to the reaction zone under laboratory conditions induced oxaloacetase and oxalate accumulation, whereas heartwood induced a decarboxylase gene involved in degradation of oxalate. The excess level of cations in defense xylem inactivates pathogen-secreted oxalate through precipitation and, presumably, only after cation neutralization can oxalic acid participate in lignocellulose degradation. This necessitates enhanced production of oxalic acid by H. parviporum. This study is the first to determine the true influence of white-rot fungi on oxalate crystal formation in tree xylem.
Authors
Isabella Børja Jan Svtlík Toril Drabløs Eldhuset Holger Lange Frank Newell Kidder Douglas Lawrence GodboldAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Igor A. Yakovlev Carl Gunnar Fossdal Tore Skrøppa Jorunn Elisabeth Olsen Anne Hopen Jahren Øystein JohnsenAbstract
Conifers are evolutionarily more ancient than their angiosperm counterparts, and thus some adaptive mechanisms and features influenced by epigenetic mechanisms appear more highly displayed in these woody gymnosperms. Conifers such as Norway spruce have very long generation times and long life spans, as well as large genome sizes. This seemingly excessive amount of genomic DNA without apparent duplications could be a rich source of sites for epigenetic regulation and modifications. In Norway spruce, an important adaptive mechanism has been identified, called epigenetic memory. This affects the growth cycle of these trees living in environments with mild summers and cold winters, allowing them to adapt rapidly to new and/or changing environments. The temperature during post-meiotic megagametogenesis and seed maturation epigenetically shifts the growth cycle programme of the embryos. This results in significant and long-lasting phenotypic change in the progeny, such as advance or delay of vital phenological processes of high adaptive value, like bud break and bud set. This phenomenon is not only of important evolutionary significance but has clear practical implications for forest seed production and conservation of forest genetic resources. The underlying molecular mechanism that causes the ‘memory’ in long-lived woody species is currently under investigation. Here we summarize the information related to epigenetic memory regulation in gymnosperms, with special emphasis on conifers. The molecular mechanism behind this is still unknown but transcriptional changes are clearly involved. Epigenetic regulation may be realized through several mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodelling, small non-coding RNAs and transposable element regulation, of which non-coding RNAs might be one of the most important determinants.
Authors
Igor A. Yakovlev YeonKyeong Lee Bjørn Rotter Tore Skrøppa Øystein Johnsen Jorunn Elisabeth Olsen Carl Gunnar FossdalAbstract
Epigenetic memory marks establishment in Norway spruce occur exclusively during embryogenesis in response to environmental impact, and the epitype is fixated by the time the embryo is fully developed without a change in the DNA sequence. We started large scale studies aimed on identifying and characterizing of genes and regulatory elements involved in the initiation, maintenance, and heritability of epigenetic memory using candidate genes and next generation sequencing approaches. Molecular mechanisms of formation of epigenetic memory were studied on the same full-sibs family zygotic embryo in vitro cultures developed in cold (18°C) and warm (30°C) environmental conditions from proliferation till mature embryo stages. Initially we had found large set (64) of Arabidopsis epigenetic regulator gene homologs in spruce. In general, known epigenetic related genes are very well represented among spruce ESTs. Analysis of the transcription patterns of these genes using RT-PCR in epigenetically different embryogenic samples reveal specific transcription patterns on different stages of embryogenic development dependent on epitype. We are expecting to determine certain stages during embryogenesis when epigenetic memory marks are forming. At the same time, nearly no differences in transcription levels of studied genes had been found in seedlings (4 month old), originated from full-sib families clearly differed in epigenetic response. Using MACE (massive cDNA 3-end sequencing) deep mRNA sequencing on the Illumina GSII platform, we analyzed P. abies transcriptomes by comparison warm and cold originated “embryonic epitypes” developed in cold and warm environmental conditions. Significant differences in transcriptomes between epitypes revealed by high-throughput sequencing will be discussed.
Abstract
Ceratocystis polonica and Heterobasidion parviporum are important fungal pathogens in Norway spruce (Picea abies). Tree susceptibility to these pathogens with respect to phenology was studied using artificial fungal inoculations at six stages of bud development, and assessed by measuring phloem necroses in the stems of 2- and 8-year-old trees. Tree capacity for resistance was assessed by measuring phloem nonstructural carbohydrates at each stage. Phloem necroses were significantly larger in trees with fungal versus control inoculations and increased significantly over time. Changes in nonstructural carbohydrates occurred in the trees; a significant decline in starch and a slight but significant increase in total sugars occurred over time. These results suggest that susceptibility to fungal pathogens and carbohydrate levels in the stems of the trees were related to fine-scale changes in bud development. A trade-off may occur between allocation of starch (the major fraction of the stem carbohydrate pool) to bud development/shoot growth versus defence of the stem. Previous tests of plant defence hypotheses have focused on herbivory on plants growing under different environmental conditions, but the role of phenology and the effect of pathogens are also important to consider in understanding plant resource allocation patterns.
2011
Authors
Gunnhild Søgaard Inger Sundheim Fløistad Aksel Granhus Kjersti Holt Hanssen Harald Kvaalen Tore Skrøppa Arne SteffenremAbstract
No abstract has been registered
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No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered