AI Article Synopsis

  • Lignin and xylan are crucial for the structure of plant cell walls and their ability to be digested; previous research focused on modifying them separately but not together, which this study addresses.
  • The researchers created a specific plant line, named HrGHypAc, that combines mutations in lignin processing and overexpression of an enzyme that modifies xylan, resulting in increased cellulose and better digestibility compared to the wild type.
  • The findings indicate that modifying both lignin and xylan together improves the plant’s cell wall properties, making it easier to break down polysaccharides, which can have potential applications in biofuel production and other industries.

Article Abstract

Background: Lignin and xylan are important determinants of cell wall structure and lignocellulosic biomass digestibility. Genetic manipulations that individually modify either lignin or xylan structure improve polysaccharide digestibility. However, the effects of their simultaneous modifications have not been explored in a similar context. Here, both individual and combinatorial modification in xylan and lignin was studied by analysing the effect on plant cell wall properties, biotic stress responses and integrity sensing.

Results: Arabidopsis plant co-harbouring mutation in FERULATE 5-HYDROXYLASE (F5H) and overexpressing Aspergillus niger acetyl xylan esterase (35S:AnAXE1) were generated and displayed normal growth attributes with intact xylem architecture. This fah1-2/35S:AnAXE1 cross was named as hyper G lignin and hypoacetylated (HrGHypAc) line. The HrGHypAc plants showed increased crystalline cellulose content with enhanced digestibility after chemical and enzymatic pre-treatment. Moreover, both parents and HrGHypAc without and after pre-treating with glucuronyl esterase and alpha glucuronidase exhibited an increase in xylose release after xylanase digestion as compared to wild type. The de-pectinated fraction in HrGHypAc displayed elevated levels of xylan and cellulose. Furthermore, the transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression in cell wall biosynthetic, transcription factors and wall-associated kinases genes implying the role of lignin and xylan modification on cellular regulatory processes.

Conclusions: Simultaneous modification in xylan and lignin enhances cellulose content with improved saccharification efficiency. These modifications loosen cell wall complexity and hence resulted in enhanced xylose and xylobiose release with or without pretreatment after xylanase digestion in both parent and HrGHypAc. This study also revealed that the disruption of xylan and lignin structure is possible without compromising either growth and development or defense responses against Pseudomonas syringae infection.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11141020PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13068-024-02513-5DOI Listing

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