Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
New Phytol. 2012 Apr;194(1):46-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04011.x.
To secure a sustainable energy source for the future, we need to develop an alternative to fossil fuels. Cellulose-based biofuel production has great potential for development into a sustainable and renewable energy source. The thick secondary walls of xylem cells provide a natural source of cellulose. As a result of the extensive production of wood through cambial activity, massive amounts of xylem cells can be harvested from trees. How can we obtain a maximal cellulose biomass yield from these trees? Thus far, tree breeding has been very challenging because of the long generation time. Currently, new breeding possibilities are emerging through the development of high-throughput technologies in molecular genetics. What potential does our current knowledge on the regulation of cambial activity provide for the domestication of optimal bioenergy trees? We examine the hormonal and molecular regulation of wood development with the aim of identifying the key regulatory aspects. We describe traits, including stem morphology and xylem cell dimensions, that could be modified to enhance wood production. Finally, we discuss the potential of novel marker-assisted tree breeding technologies.
为了确保未来有可持续的能源供应，我们需要开发替代化石燃料的能源。基于纤维素的生物燃料生产具有巨大的发展潜力，可以成为一种可持续和可再生的能源。木质部细胞的厚次生壁为纤维素提供了天然来源。由于形成层活动产生了大量的木材，因此可以从树木中收获大量的木质部细胞。我们如何从这些树木中获得最大的纤维素生物质产量？到目前为止，由于树木的世代时间很长，因此树木的选育非常具有挑战性。目前，通过分子遗传学高通量技术的发展，新的选育可能性正在出现。我们目前对形成层活动调节的了解为驯化最佳生物能源树提供了哪些潜力？我们研究了木质部发育的激素和分子调节，目的是确定关键的调节方面。我们描述了一些特征，包括茎形态和木质部细胞尺寸，这些特征可以通过修饰来提高木材产量。最后，我们讨论了新型基于标记的树木选育技术的潜力。
