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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #213441
Title: PERTURBATIONS OF THE LIGNIN BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY AND THEIR POTENTIAL TO IMPACT PULP AND PAPER PRODUCTION

Author
item Ralph, John
item LU, FACHUANG - UNIV OF WISCONSIN
item KIM, HOON - UNIV OF WISCONSIN
item AKIYAMA, TAKUYA - UNIV OF TOKYO
item RALPH, SALLY - U.S. FOREST PRODUCTS LAB

Submitted to: Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/29/2007
Publication Date: 6/10/2007
Citation: Ralph, J., Lu, F., Kim, H., Akiyama, T., Ralph, S.A. 2007. Perturbations of the lignin biosynthetic pathway and their potential to impact pulp and paper production. In: Proceedings of 10th International Congress on Biotechnology in the Pulp and Paper Industry, June 10-14, 2007, Madison, Wisconsin. p. 35.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The effects on lignification of perturbing most of the genes for enzymes on the monolignol biosynthetic pathway have now been reasonably well studied, particularly in angiosperms. Early studies sought to reduce lignin content with the idea of targeting the key barrier to efficient utilization of plant cell walls in a variety of natural (e.g., ruminant digestibility) and industrial (e.g., chemical pulping, biomass conversion to ethanol) processes. More recently, and particularly for pulping, the idea of altering the composition and structure of the lignin, without necessarily reducing the amount, has also become attractive. The latter approach arose from noting the resilience of the lignification pathway, and its metabolic plasticity. Some transgenics with diminished capacity for biosynthesis of the normal lignin monomers responded by incorporating other available phenolic monomers (often, but not always, pathway intermediates and their derived products) into the polymer. Plant cell wall integrity and plant growth may be impacted, but not always seriously. Obviously, incorporating new phenolics into lignin produces a polymer with a different structure and, therefore, different chemical and physical properties. Not surprisingly, some of these modifications allow for improved chemical pulping efficiencies. This paper will explore the structural changes that result from perturbing the various genes in the lignin biosynthetic pathway and highlight the implications for chemical pulping.