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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FULL STORY ========================================================================== 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
o Plants_&_Animals
# Trees # CRISPR_Gene_Editing # Botany #
Agriculture_and_Food
o Earth_&_Climate
# Forest # Sustainability # Biodiversity # Ecology
* RELATED_TERMS
o Gypsy_moth o Savanna o Tree o Molecular_biology o Mulch o
Logging o Old_growth_forest o Zebrafish

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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.


========================================================================== 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 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713141912.htm

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