Lignin remains one of the most significant barriers to the efficient utilization of lignocellulosic substrates, in processes ranging from ruminant digestibility to industrial pulping, and in the current focus on biofuels production. Structural studies of lignins in a range of 'normal' plants, as well as in mutants and transgenics misregulated in various plant cell wall pathway genes, have shown that lignification is a remarkably metabolically plastic process. Plant lignins that differ, sometimes strikingly, from those derived from the traditional primary two monolignols, coniferyl and sinapyl alcohol, are now well authenticated. Such changes in lignin composition and structure may positively or negatively impact cell wall utilization. A few approaches hold considerable promise for reducing the severity and energy demands of various processes. Researchers are therefore now beginning to contemplate actually designing lignins, by introducing novel phenolic monomers into the plant lignification process, to improve the ease with which the resulting lignins can be removed from the cell wall. We will explore how one particular approach for such redesign coalesced from seemingly disparate studies, and show how the implementation, in planta, is proceeding to 'persuade' plants to be more valuable for bioenergy applications.

Redesigning lignin for improved plant cell wall deconstruction, a case study

247th National Meeting (2014)

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