Microbial colonisation rewires the composition and content of poplar root exudates, root and shoot metabolomes.

BACKGROUND: Trees are associated with a broad range of microorganisms colonising the diverse tissues of their host. However, the early dynamics of the microbiota assembly microbiota from the root to shoot axis and how it is linked to root exudates and metabolite contents of tissues remain unclear. Here, we characterised how fungal and bacterial communities are altering root exudates as well as root and shoot metabolomes in parallel with their establishment in poplar cuttings (Populus tremula x tremuloides clone T89) over 30 days of growth. Sterile poplar cuttings were planted in natural or gamma irradiated soils. Bulk and rhizospheric soils, root and shoot tissues were collected from day 1 to day 30 to track the dynamic changes of fungal and bacterial communities in the different habitats by DNA metabarcoding. Root exudates and root and shoot metabolites were analysed in parallel by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Our study reveals that microbial colonisation triggered rapid and substantial alterations in both the composition and quantity of root exudates, with over 70 metabolites exclusively identified in remarkably high abundances in the absence of microorganisms. Noteworthy among these were lipid-related metabolites and defence compounds. The microbial colonisation of both roots and shoots exhibited a similar dynamic response, initially involving saprophytic microorganisms and later transitioning to endophytes and symbionts. Key constituents of the shoot microbiota were also discernible at earlier time points in the rhizosphere and roots, indicating that the soil constituted a primary source for shoot microbiota. Furthermore, the microbial colonisation of belowground and aerial compartments induced a reconfiguration of plant metabolism. Specifically, microbial colonisation predominantly instigated alterations in primary metabolism in roots, while in shoots, it primarily influenced defence metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the profound impact of microbial interactions on metabolic pathways of plants, shedding light on the intricate interplay between plants and their associated microbial communities. Video Abstract.

Impact of xylan on field productivity and wood saccharification properties in aspen.

Xylan that comprises roughly 25% of hardwood biomass is undesirable in biorefinery applications involving saccharification and fermentation. Efforts to reduce xylan levels have therefore been made in many species, usually resulting in improved saccharification. However, such modified plants have not yet been tested under field conditions. Here we evaluate the field performance of transgenic hybrid aspen lines with reduced xylan levels and assess their usefulness as short-rotation feedstocks for biorefineries. Three types of transgenic lines were tested in four-year field tests with RNAi constructs targeting either Populus GT43 clades B and C (GT43BC) corresponding to Arabidopsis clades IRX9 and IRX14, respectively, involved in xylan backbone biosynthesis, GATL1.1 corresponding to AtGALT1 involved in xylan reducing end sequence biosynthesis, or ASPR1 encoding an atypical aspartate protease. Their productivity, wood quality traits, and saccharification efficiency were analyzed. The only lines differing significantly from the wild type with respect to growth and biotic stress resistance were the ASPR1 lines, whose stems were roughly 10% shorter and narrower and leaves showed increased arthropod damage. GT43BC lines exhibited no growth advantage in the field despite their superior growth in greenhouse experiments. Wood from the ASPR1 and GT43BC lines had slightly reduced density due to thinner cell walls and, in the case of ASPR1, larger cell diameters. The xylan was less extractable by alkali but more hydrolysable by acid, had increased glucuronosylation, and its content was reduced in all three types of transgenic lines. The hemicellulose size distribution in the GALT1.1 and ASPR1 lines was skewed towards higher molecular mass compared to the wild type. These results provide experimental evidence that GATL1.1 functions in xylan biosynthesis and suggest that ASPR1 may regulate this process. In saccharification without pretreatment, lines of all three constructs provided 8-11% higher average glucose yields than wild-type plants. In saccharification with acid pretreatment, the GT43BC construct provided a 10% yield increase on average. The best transgenic lines of each construct are thus predicted to modestly outperform the wild type in terms of glucose yields per hectare. The field evaluation of transgenic xylan-reduced aspen represents an important step towards more productive feedstocks for biorefineries.

Abaxial Greening Phenotype in Hybrid Aspen.

The typical angiosperm leaf, as in Arabidopsis, is bifacial consisting of top (adaxial) and bottom (abaxial) surfaces readily distinguishable by the underlying cell type (palisade and spongy mesophyll, respectively). Species of the genus Populus have leaves that are either conventionally bifacial or isobilateral. Isobilateral leaves have palisade mesophyll on the top and bottom of the leaf, making the two sides virtually indistinguishable at the macroscopic level. In poplars this has been termed the "abaxial greening" phenotype. Previous work has implicated ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) as an essential determinant of palisade mesophyll development. This gene, as well as other genes (84 in all) putatively involved in setting the dorsiventral axis of leaves, were investigated in two Populus species: black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) and hybrid aspen (P. tremula x tremuloides), representative of each leaf type (bifacial and isobilateral, respectively). Poplar orthologs of AS1 have significantly higher expression in aspen leaf blade and lower in the petiole, suggestive of a potential role in the isobilateral leaf phenotype consistent with the previously observed phenotypes. Furthermore, an ABERRANT TESTA SHAPE (ATS) ortholog has significantly lower expression in aspen leaf tissue, also suggesting a possible contribution of this gene to abaxial greening.