| 1. |
- Blaschek, Leonard, et al.
(author)
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Cellular and Genetic Regulation of Coniferaldehyde Incorporation in Lignin of Herbaceous and Woody Plants by Quantitative Wiesner Staining
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lignin accumulates in the cell walls of specialized cell types to enable plants to stand upright and conduct water and minerals, withstand abiotic stresses, and defend themselves against pathogens. These functions depend on specific lignin concentrations and subunit composition in different cell types and cell wall layers. However, the mechanisms controlling the accumulation of specific lignin subunits, such as coniferaldehyde, during the development of these different cell types are still poorly understood. We herein validated the Wiesner test (phloroglucinol/HCl) for the restrictive quantitative in situ analysis of coniferaldehyde incorporation in lignin. Using this optimized tool, we investigated the genetic control of coniferaldehyde incorporation in the different cell types of genetically-engineered herbaceous and woody plants with modified lignin content and/or composition. Our results demonstrate that the incorporation of coniferaldehyde in lignified cells is controlled by (a) autonomous biosynthetic routes for each cell type, combined with (b) distinct cell-to-cell cooperation between specific cell types, and (c) cell wall layer-specific accumulation capacity. This process tightly regulates coniferaldehyde residue accumulation in specific cell types to adapt their property and/or function to developmental and/or environmental changes.
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| 2. |
- Blaschek, Leonard, et al.
(author)
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Determining the Genetic Regulation and Coordination of Lignification in Stem Tissues of Arabidopsis Using Semiquantitative Raman Microspectroscopy
- 2020
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In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2168-0485. ; 8:12, s. 4900-4909
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lignin is a phenolic polymer accumulatig in the cell walls of specific plant cell types to confer unique properties such as hydrophobicity, mechanical strengthening, and resistance to degradation. Different cell types accumulate lignin with specific concentration and composition to support their specific roles in the different plant tissues. Yet the genetic mechanisms controlling lignin quantity and composition differently between the different lignified cell types and tissues still remain poorly understood. To investigate this tissue-specific genetic regulation, we validated both the target molecular structures as well as the linear semi-quantitative capacity of Raman microspectroscopy to characterize the total lignin amount, S/G ratio, and coniferyl alcohol content in situ directly in plant biopsies. Using the optimized method on stems of multiple lignin biosynthesis loss-of-function mutants revealed that the genetic regulation of lignin is tissue specific, with distinct genes establishing nonredundant check-points to trigger specific compensatory adjustments affecting either lignin composition and/or cell wall polymer concentrations.
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| 3. |
- Yamamoto, Masanobu, et al.
(author)
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Importance of Lignin Coniferaldehyde Residues for Plant Properties and Sustainable Uses
- 2020
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In: ChemSusChem. - : Wiley. - 1864-5631 .- 1864-564X. ; 13:17, s. 4400-4408
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increases in coniferaldehyde content, a minor lignin residue, significantly improves the sustainable use of plant biomass for feed, pulping, and biorefinery without affecting plant growth and yields. Herein, different analytical methods are compared and validated to distinguish coniferaldehyde from other lignin residues. It is shown that specific genetic pathways regulate amount, linkage, and position of coniferaldehyde within the lignin polymer for each cell type. This specific cellular regulation offers new possibilities for designing plant lignin for novel and targeted industrial uses.
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