PdWND3A, a wood-associated NAC domain-containing protein, affects lignin biosynthesis and composition in Populus.

Background: Plant secondary cell wall is a renewable feedstock for biofuels and biomaterials production. Arabidopsis VASCULAR-RELATED NAC DOMAIN (VND) has been demonstrated to be a key transcription factor regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis. However, less is known about its role in the woody species.

A 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate 3-Phosphate Synthase Functions as a Transcriptional Repressor in .

Long-lived perennial plants, with distinctive habits of inter-annual growth, defense, and physiology, are of great economic and ecological importance. However, some biological mechanisms resulting from genome duplication and functional divergence of genes in these systems remain poorly studied. Here, we discovered an association between a poplar ( 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase gene () and lignin biosynthesis.

Overexpression of a Domain of Unknown Function 231-containing protein increases O-xylan acetylation and cellulose biosynthesis in .

Background: Domain of Unknown Function 231-containing proteins (DUF231) are plant specific and their function is largely unknown. Studies in the model plants Arabidopsis and rice suggested that some DUF231 proteins act in the process of -acetyl substitution of hemicellulose and esterification of pectin. However, little is known about the function of DUF231 proteins in woody plant species.

Agronomic performance of trees engineered for biofuel production.

Background: One of the major barriers to the development of lignocellulosic feedstocks is the recalcitrance of plant cell walls to deconstruction and saccharification. Recalcitrance can be reduced by targeting genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, but this can have unintended consequences that compromise the agronomic performance of the trees under field conditions. Here we report the results of a field trial of fourteen distinct transgenic lines that had previously demonstrated reduced recalcitrance without yield penalties under greenhouse conditions.

Overexpression of a Domain of Unknown Function 266-containing protein results in high cellulose content, reduced recalcitrance, and enhanced plant growth in the bioenergy crop .

Background: Domain of Unknown Function 266 (DUF266) is a plant-specific domain. DUF266-containing proteins (DUF266 proteins) have been categorized as 'not classified glycosyltransferases (GTnc)' due to amino acid similarity with GTs. However, little is known about the function of DUF266 proteins.

Down-Regulation of -Like Endo-β-1,4-Glucanase Genes Impacts Carbon Partitioning, Mycorrhizal Colonization and Biomass Production in .

A greater understanding of the genetic regulation of plant cell wall remodeling and the impact of modified cell walls on plant performance is important for the development of sustainable biofuel crops. Here, we studied the impact of down-regulating KORRIGAN-like cell wall biosynthesis genes, belonging to the endo-β-1,4-glucanase gene family, on growth, metabolism and the ability to interact with symbiotic microbes. The reductions in cellulose content and lignin syringyl-to-guaiacyl unit ratio, and increase in cellulose crystallinity of cell walls of RNAi plants corroborated the functional role of PdKOR in cell wall biosynthesis.

Metabolomic Signatures of Chronic Kidney Disease of Diverse Etiologies in the Rats and Humans.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as a major public health problem worldwide. It frequently progresses to end-stage renal disease, which is related to very high cost and mortality. Novel biomarkers can provide insight into the novel mechanism, facilitate early detection, and monitor progression of CKD and its response to therapeutic interventions.

Knockdown of a laccase in Populus deltoides confers altered cell wall chemistry and increased sugar release.

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.

Complete Genome Sequences of Caldicellulosiruptor sp. Strain Rt8.B8, Caldicellulosiruptor sp. Strain Wai35.B1, and "Thermoanaerobacter cellulolyticus".

The genus Caldicellulosiruptor contains extremely thermophilic, cellulolytic bacteria capable of lignocellulose deconstruction. Currently, complete genome sequences for eleven Caldicellulosiruptor species are available. Here, we report genome sequences for three additional Caldicellulosiruptor species: Rt8.

Systems and synthetic biology approaches to alter plant cell walls and reduce biomass recalcitrance.

Fine-tuning plant cell wall properties to render plant biomass more amenable to biofuel conversion is a colossal challenge. A deep knowledge of the biosynthesis and regulation of plant cell wall and a high-precision genome engineering toolset are the two essential pillars of efforts to alter plant cell walls and reduce biomass recalcitrance. The past decade has seen a meteoric rise in use of transcriptomics and high-resolution imaging methods resulting in fresh insights into composition, structure, formation and deconstruction of plant cell walls.