Building a Better Tree
By mid-century, few growing things will be left untouched by genetically engineered alterations
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Using Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR gene editing technology, researchers at North Carolina State University have smartened up poplar trees to make them a better source of wood fibers.
The scientists edited the trees’ genome to produce less lignin, a compound that makes plants rigid and complicates turning trees into fiber for making diapers, paper, and a range of other products.
The researchers also adjusted the ratio of two lignin-producing molecules and boosted the amount of carbohydrates in the trees. Combining those two changes with lowered lignin creates a near-perfect tree for fiber production, the scientists wrote in a paper describing their work.
Using machine learning software, the botanists combed through about 70,000 possible gene edits focused on 21 genes related to lignin production and settled on the seven that were most promising.
They used the seven strategies to produce 174 strains of poplar trees, which then spent six months growing in a university greenhouse.
Some strains showed 50-percent less lignin production; others boasted a 228-percent increase in the ratio of carbohydrates to lignin.
Next, scientists will tweak their formulations to create one strain optimizing the desirable features. Then the improved trees will be planted outdoors to see if they can withstand the stresses of living in the wild.
Meanwhile, the scientists have launched a company called TreeCo to commercialize their technology.
TRENDPOST: Animals and food crops have garnered most of the attention given to gene editing but trees also can be engineered for desirable properties: more strength or density in oak and maple, more vivid grain in walnut and black cherry cabinet woods, more insect resistance in ash.
By mid-century, few growing things will be left untouched by genetically engineered alterations.