Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has a wide distribution in North America and is one of the
tree species most widely distributed outside its natural range. The species has been introduced to
Europe, New Zealand, South America, and elsewhere around the world. At present, Douglas-fir
is an accepted and integral part of...
Full Text:
Douglas-fir
Denis P. Lavender and Richard K. Hermann
The
Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has a wide distribution in North America and is one of the
tree species most widely distributed outside its natural range. The species has been introduced to
Europe, New Zealand, South America, and elsewhere around the world. At present, Douglas-fir
is an accepted and integral part of...
Full Text:
Douglas-fir
Denis P. Lavender and Richard K. Hermann
The
Abstract Endogenous levels and signaling of gibberellin plant hormones such as
gibberellic acid (GA) have been genetically down-regulated to create semi-dwarf
varieties of poplar. The potential benefits of semi-dwarf stature include reduced risk of
wind damage, improved stress tolerance, and improved wood quality. Despite these
benefits, modification of growth traits...
To reduce the environmental impacts caused by gene flow from transgenic trees, reproductive sterility genes have been developed that use a floral regulatory element linked to a cell toxin. This results in dysfunction or ablation of floral tissues, causing sterility. However, floral promoters often permit low levels of expression in...
Stable expression of transgenes is required for commercial uses of genetically engineered trees. To better understand the stability of transgene expression under field conditions, we studied transgene expression and RNA interference (RNAi)-induced transgene suppression in 2,480 transgenic poplars (460 transgene insertion events) over three years. Stability of expression was assessed...
This dissertation is comprised of four studies on different elements of Populus biotechnology and genomic science: 1) growth improvement by recombinant DNA (rDNA) modification of gibberellin (GA) metabolism; 2) gene editing using zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs); 3) induction of floral sterility by RNA interference (RNAi) of AGAMOUS (AG) gene homologs; and...
An impediment to use of exotic and bioengineered trees in many places is their propensity for spread by pollen and/or seeds. Our laboratory has been using gene editing to induce mutations in floral genes as means to impart stable and reliable genetic containment when this is desirable from social (markets,...