Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

If you throw a rock in a Scandinavian forest, chances are high you could hit a
Norway spruce tree. These trees are not only an ecological and cultural mainstay
of Sweden, they also grow on one fourth of all productive forest land and thus
contribute significantly to forestry and forest product exports, which make up 9%
of all exports from Sweden (Skogsindustrierna 2025). However, trying to grow
Norway spruce commercially is an investment that you may never enjoy. Trees
grow and live slowly, that's not new. But our human innovation constantly
improves our ability to mend this “issue”. This thesis outlines the working
towards furthering our collective understanding of the function and origin of an
enzyme which plays an important role in regulating a major plant hormone
responsible for, among other things, inducing flowering. More flowers (spruce
cones), equals more saplings, which equals more trees.
This enzyme is called PaGA2ox1 in Norway spruce, and in this thesis we aimed to
isolate and synthesize the complementary DNA for the gene responsible for it,
and then clone this gene into a bacterial vector suitable for in vitro assays and
analysis of the enzyme's function. As well as to perform a phylogenetic analysis
which provides a family tree on an evolutionary scale with several different
species. Lastly, we wanted to compare the smallest genetic changes on a single
nucleotide base scale, between genotypes of varying degrees of average cone-
setting amounts, to the larger Norway spruce population of genotypes. The
advancements and strides made in these areas within this thesis, will thus help to
exacerbate future learning about this enzyme and its relatives. As well as offer
valuable insight into the methods necessary for reaching these goals, further
easing the work of greater, more dedicated projects in the future.