Abstract
The recalcitrant nature of lignocellulosic biomass is a combined effect of several factors such as high crystallinity and high degree of polymerization of cellulose, lignin content and structure, and the available surface area for enzymatic degradation (i.e., accessibility). Genetic improvement of feedstock cell wall properties is a path to reducing recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass and improving conversion to various biofuels. An advanced understanding of the cellulose biosynthesis pathway is essential to precisely modify cellulose properties of plant cell walls. Here we report on the impact of modified expression of candidate cellulose biosynthesis pathway genes on the ultra-structure of cellulose, a key carbohydrate polymer of Populus cell wall using advanced nuclear magnetic resonance approaches. Noteworthy changes were observed in the cell wall characteristics of downregulated KORRIGAN 1 (KOR) and KOR 2 transgenic plants in comparison to the wild-type control. It was observed that all of the transgenic lines showed variation in cellulose ultrastructure, increase in cellulose crystallinity and decrease in the cellulose degree of polymerization. Additionally, the properties of cellulose allomorph abundance and accessibility were found to be variable. Application of such cellulose characterization techniques beyond the traditional measurement of cellulose abundance to comprehensive studies of cellulose properties in larger transgenic and naturally variable populations is expected to provide deeper insights into the complex nature of lignocellulosic material, which can significantly contribute to the development of precisely tailored plants for enhanced biofuels production.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 146-154 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Biomass and Bioenergy |
| Volume | 94 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2016 |
Funding
This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy .This work was supported and performed as part of the BioEnergy Science Center . The BioEnergy Science Center is a U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the DOE Office of Science . Mass spectrometry analysis was carried out by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research supported Bioenergy Research Center proteomics pipeline. The publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| BioEnergy Science Center | |
| DOE Office of Science | |
| Office of Biological and Environmental Research | |
| U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center | |
| U.S. Department of Energy Office of Biological and Environmental Research supported Bioenergy Research Center proteomics pipeline |
Keywords
- Cellulose biosynthesis
- Crystallinity
- Degree of polymerization
- Gene
- Micro-fibril
