X-ray micro-computed tomography in willow reveals tissue patterning of reaction wood and delay in programmed cell death

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Brereton, N. J. B., Ahmed, F., Sykes, D., Ray, M. J., Shield, I. F., Karp, A. and Murphy, R. J. 2015. X-ray micro-computed tomography in willow reveals tissue patterning of reaction wood and delay in programmed cell death. BMC Plant Biology. 15, p. 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-015-0438-0

AuthorsBrereton, N. J. B., Ahmed, F., Sykes, D., Ray, M. J., Shield, I. F., Karp, A. and Murphy, R. J.
Abstract

Background
Variation in the reaction wood (RW) response has been shown to be a principle component driving differences in lignocellulosic sugar yield from the bioenergy crop willow. The phenotypic cause(s) behind these differences in sugar yield, beyond their common elicitor, however, remain unclear. Here we use X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) to investigate RW-associated alterations in secondary xylem tissue patterning in three dimensions (3D).

Results
Major architectural alterations were successfully quantified in 3D and attributed to RW induction. Whilst the frequency of vessels was reduced in tension wood tissue (TW), the total vessel volume was significantly increased. Interestingly, a delay in programmed-cell-death (PCD) associated with TW was also clearly observed and readily quantified by μCT.

Conclusions
The surprising degree to which the volume of vessels was increased illustrates the substantial xylem tissue remodelling involved in reaction wood formation. The remodelling suggests an important physiological compromise between structural and hydraulic architecture necessary for extensive alteration of biomass and helps to demonstrate the power of improving our perspective of cell and tissue architecture. The precise observation of xylem tissue development and quantification of the extent of delay in PCD provides a valuable and exciting insight into this bioenergy crop trait.

Year of Publication2015
JournalBMC Plant Biology
Journal citation15, p. 83
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-015-0438-0
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Funder project or codeCropping Carbon (CC) [ISPG]
The BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre (BSBEC): Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme [2009-2014]
Maximising carbon harvest from perennial crops
Publisher's version
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online11 Mar 2015
Publication process dates
Accepted23 Jan 2015
PublisherBMC
Biomed Central Ltd
Copyright licenseCC BY
ISSN1471-2229

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