A Small Set of Nuclear Markers for Reliable Differentiation of the Two Closely Related Oak Species and .

and are, in addition to , the main economically used deciduous tree species in Europe. Identification of these two species is crucial because they differ in their ecological demands. Because of a changing climate, foresters must know more than ever which species will perform better under given environmental conditions.

A Constitutively Active Cytokinin Receptor Variant Increases Cambial Activity and Stem Growth in Poplar.

The cambial meristem is responsible for bark and wood formation in woody plants. The activity of the cambial meristem is controlled by various factors; one of them is the plant hormone cytokinin. Here, we have explored different approaches to genetically engineering cambial activity in poplar plants by the ectopic expression of a cytokinin biosynthesis gene with enhanced activity (named ) or of a gene encoding a constitutively active cytokinin receptor variant ().

Availability of vitamin B and its lower ligand intermediate α-ribazole impact prokaryotic and protist communities in oceanic systems.

Genome analyses predict that the cofactor cobalamin (vitamin B, called B herein) is produced by only one-third of all prokaryotes but almost all encode at least one B-dependent enzyme, in most cases methionine synthase. This implies that the majority of prokaryotes relies on exogenous B supply and interacts with producers. B consists of a corrin ring centred around a cobalt ion and the lower ligand 5'6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB).

Transcriptome analysis of North American sweet birch (Betula lenta) revealed a higher expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites than European silver birch (B. pendula).

The North American Betula lenta L. (sweet birch) has been used for medicinal reasons for centuries by native Americans. Although sophisticated technologies have rapidly been developed, a large information gap has been observed regarding genetic regulators of medicinally important compounds in sweet birch.

Small-scale genetic structure and mating patterns in an extensive sessile oak forest ( (Matt.) Liebl.).

Oaks () are major components of temperate forest ecosystems in the Northern Hemisphere where they form intermediate or climax communities. Sessile oak () forests represent the climax vegetation in eastern Germany and western Poland. Here, sessile oak forms pure stands or occurs intermixed with Scots Pine ().

Genetic variation, phylogenetic relationship and spatial distribution of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi' strains in Germany.

A recent survey in Germany revealed the wide presence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi' in native elm stands. Accessions were studied for their genetic variability and phylogenetic relationship based on the conserved groEL and the variable imp gene. While the groEL sequences revealed a high intraspecific homology of more than 99%, the homology of the imp gene dropped to 71% between distantly related sequences.

Widespread occurrence of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi' in elm species in Germany.

Background: 'Candidatus Phytoplasma ulmi' is the agent associated with elm yellows and has been categorised in the European Union as a quarantine pathogen. For central and northern European countries, information on the occurrence and distribution of the pathogen and its impact on elms is scarce, so a survey of native elm trees has been conducted in Germany.

Results: About 6500 samples from Ulmus minor, Ulmus laevis and Ulmus glabra, were collected nationwide.

Evaluating the Efficiency of gRNAs in CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Genome Editing in Poplars.

CRISPR/Cas9 has become one of the most promising techniques for genome editing in plants and works very well in poplars with an -mediated transformation system. We selected twelve genes, including , , and their paralogous genes, four genes and for three different research topics. The gRNAs were designed for editing, and, together with a constitutively expressed Cas9 nuclease, transferred either into the poplar hybrid × or into .

Poplar Transformation.

First publications of successful Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of tobacco were published more than 30 years ago. Protocols for Agrobacterium-based transformation as well as biolistic bombardment and PEG transformation of protoplasts are available for more than 150 plant species from various plant families. Also for many Populus species and hybrids, adapted transformation protocols have been published.

Knockdown of PCBER1, a gene of neolignan biosynthesis, resulted in increased poplar growth.

Poplar trees displayed an increased plant height due to the transgenic knockdown of PCBER1, a gene of lignan biosynthesis. The wood composition was slightly altered in both overexpression and knockdown lines. The gene PHENYLCOUMARAN BENZYLIC ETHER REDUCTASE1 (PCBER1) is well known as an important gene in the synthesis of lignans, a group of diverse phenylpropanoid derivatives.

The sex-linked region in Populus tremuloides Turesson 141 corresponds to a pericentromeric region of about two million base pairs on P. trichocarpa chromosome 19.

In the dioecious genus Populus, sex determination has been located to chromosome 19. However, despite a high degree of genome collinearity, various Populus species seem to differ with regard to the location of the sex-determining region on the respective chromosome and the apparent heterogametic sex. In this study, the boundaries of the recombination-suppressed, sex-linked region of the male P.