Knockdown of a laccase in Populus deltoides confers altered cell wall chemistry and increased sugar release |
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Authors: | Anthony C Bryan Sara Jawdy Lee Gunter Erica Gjersing Robert Sykes Maud A W Hinchee Kimberly A Winkeler Cassandra M Collins Nancy Engle Timothy J Tschaplinski Xiaohan Yang Gerald A Tuskan Wellington Muchero Jin‐Gui Chen |
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Institution: | 1. BioEnergy Science Center and Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA;2. The Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, USA;3. ArborGen Inc, Ridgeville, SC, USA |
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Abstract: | Plant laccases are thought to function in the oxidation of monolignols which leads to higher order lignin formation. Only a hand‐full of laccases in plants have been functionally evaluated, and as such little is known about the breadth of their impact on cell wall chemistry or structure. Here, we describe a previously uncharacterized laccase from Populus, encoded by locus Potri.008G064000, whose reduced expression resulted in transgenic Populus trees with changes in syringyl/guaiacyl ratios as well as altered sugar release phenotypes. These phenotypes are consistent with plant biomass exhibiting reduced recalcitrance. Interestingly, the transgene effect on recalcitrance is dependent on a mild pretreatment prior to chemical extraction of sugars. Metabolite profiling suggests the transgene modulates phenolics that are associated with the cell wall structure. We propose that this particular laccase has a range of functions related to oxidation of phenolics and conjugation of flavonoids that interact with lignin in the cell wall. |
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Keywords: |
Populus
biofuel cell wall xylose lignin recalcitrance |
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