Andrea Polle
University of Goettingen
Andrea Polle is Professor of Forest Botany and Tree Physiology at Göttingen University. She is interested in the physiology and molecular biology of stress responses in forests trees. Her groups try to understand the physiological plasticity and adaptability of trees in a changing environment. A focus is abiotic stress and how organismal interactions modulate tree performance. Andrea Polle did her undergraduate studies in biology at the University of Cologne (Germany) and received a PhD (Dr. rer. nat) from the University of Osnabrück, Germany.
Title of presentation
Ectopic overexpression of wax ester synthase in poplar alters stomatal conductance and water use efficiency
Authors
Ashkan Amirkhosravi, Gerrit-Jan Strijkstra, Alisa Keyl, Felix Häffner, Ulrike Lipka, Cornelia Herrfurth, Ivo Feussner,, Andrea Polle
Abstract
Poplars are important fast-growing, water-spending biomass crops. Here, we targeted the wax biosynthesis pathway of Populus x canescens by overexpressing jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) wax ester synthase (ScWS) for the production of valuable lipids in leaves. We found that the ectopic ScWS overexpression caused intracellular wax ester accumulation in mesophyll cells but did not affect the wax load on the leaf surface. However, the stomata showed a high fraction of closed or semi-closed guard cells with aberrant lipid accumulation. This phenotype was accompanied by suppression of OCCLUDED STOMATAL PORE 1 (OSP1) and decreased stomatal conductance in the ScWS expressing poplars. The reduced transpiration of the ScWS poplar decreased whole-plant water consumption and delayed drought stress. Our results open new opportunities for the production of valuable lipids in more water-efficient poplars.