Using microarrays to elucidate the genetic basis of wood density in sitka spruce and poplar

Abstract

As the global population continues to increase, so will the demand for timber (and
other raw materials) for building, construction, and also for the pulping industry.
The high demand for wood and the increasing human population mean that
natural forests are being lost and degraded. A potential solution to this problem is
to improve the productivity of our plantation forests to relieve the pressure on
natural forests in terms of sustainable wood production. This project is the first to
use newly available microarray technology to study differential gene expression
in cambial tissue of high versus low wood density field grown samples from two
contrasting species, Sitka spruce (gymnosperms) and poplar (angiosperms).
Genes up-regulated in high-density Sitka spruce and poplar samples had
functions in cell formation and expansion, with down-regulated genes having
functions in lignin biosynthesis, stress-response and defence. Plantation trees
could be screened at a young age to assess their expression of candidate genes
to speed up the breeding and selection process.

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