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European Ash Pangenome Aids Resistance to Ash Dieback
Developing
In Short: A new genetic resource could help scientists identify and breed trees naturally resistant to the fungal disease.
Researchers have unveiled the first European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) pangenome, a comprehensive genetic resource that captures the full range of genes found across multiple individuals of the species.
This pangenome, constructed from DNA of 50 diverse trees, has identified 211 genes with possible links to ash dieback resistance, including 16 dispensable genes present in some but not all trees.
According to the Forestryjournal, a traditional genome assembly approach only captures information from a single individual, whereas a pangenome allows for the identification of dispensable genes that may confer advantageous traits like disease resistance.
Last year, researchers from Kew and Queen Mary University of London discovered that a young population of ash trees in East Surrey were evolving resistance to ash dieback, demonstrating natural selection in action.
Unlocking these data could enable researchers to predict which trees are genetically shielded against ash dieback and help breed resistant populations by identifying the most promising trees from their genetic code alone.
What's still developing
- Ash dieback is a major concern for the UK and has decimated British treescapes since first being detected in 2012, killing off millions of trees.
- Using the pangenome, constructed from a group of 50 trees of diverse origins, the scientists analysed a genomic dataset from more than 1,000 trees to identify genes associated with resistance.
- They may however confer traits advantageous in certain contexts, like disease resistance or better drought tolerance, potentially allowing populations to adapt more quickly to changing circumstances.
- Pangenomes provide a more comprehensive way of studying susceptibility to pathogens, compared with using a single genome, as they capture the dispensable DNA sequences carried by some trees but not others.
- Mauro Facchini, Head of the European Commission’s Earth Observation Unit, said the next steps for Copernicus are already in work.
- Onboard the launch with the designation VV30 were two spacecraft: the ocean- and atmosphere-monitoring Copernicus Sentinel-3C, managed by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the plant health-monitoring Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX), managed by the European Space Agency (ESA).
- Together, they will advance our understanding of Earth’s vegetation and support the continued monitoring of our oceans,… pic.twitter.com/QVcgpuXHzE — European Space Agency (@esa) September 15, 2026 Deployment of the Sentinel-3C happened about an hour after liftoff with acquisition of signal happening minutes later.
Sources
- Forestryjournallink