Wood development at spatial single-cell resolution in aspen and Norway spruce

Wood represents a natural renewable resource essential to mankind.

Wood is obtained both from conifers and angiosperm trees, which are phylogenetically distant and present anatomical differences in the wood structure suggesting different regulation mechanisms in its formation. Currently, we still lack a coherent vision of the molecular mechanisms involved in the process in the two species.

In this project, we will leverage single-cell RNA-Sequencing and Spatial Transcriptomics to produce spatial single-cell gene expression maps of wood development in aspen and Norway spruce, an approach never applied before due to the lack of available technology.

We will apply network enrichment analysis to identify which molecular switches are responsible for the regulation of this mechanism and where they are localized in the tissue.

Subsequently, we will conduct functional characterization of the identified candidate genes by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

The new achieved discoveries will shed light on the evolution of wood development pathways in the two tree species and provide resources to develop new breeding programs with significant increased precision intended to increase wood yield and quality, thus contributing to its sustainable use.

This is of paramount importance considering that the genome editing trials, towards targeted modification in lignocellulose content or composition, have almost without exception failed in the past.