Metabolic engineering of p ‐hydroxybenzoate in poplar lignin

Ester‐linked p ‐hydroxybenzoate occurs naturally in poplar lignin as pendent groups that can be released by mild alkaline hydrolysis. These ‘clip‐off’ phenolics can be separated from biomass and upgraded into diverse high‐value bioproducts. We introduced a bacterial chorismate pyruvate lyase gene in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Plant biotechnology journal Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 176 - 188
Main Authors:	Mottiar, Yaseen, Karlen, Steven D., Goacher, Robyn E., Ralph, John, Mansfield, Shawn D.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2023 Wiley John Wiley and Sons Inc
Subjects:	4-hydroxybenzoic acid Acids alkaline hydrolysis BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES biobased products Biomass Biosynthesis biotechnology Cell Wall - metabolism Cell walls cell-wall-bound phenolics chorismic acid designer lignins Enzymes ester-linked pendent groups Esters Fibers genes genetically modified organisms Hardwoods heterologous gene expression Hydroxybenzoates - analysis Hydroxybenzoates - metabolism Lignin Lignin - metabolism lignin engineering Mass spectrometry Mass spectroscopy Metabolic Engineering Metabolism Metabolites Parabens - analysis Parabens - metabolism Phenols Plastids Polymerization Polymers Poplar Populus Populus - genetics Populus - metabolism Pyruvic acid Saccharification Substrates Trees Trees - genetics wood Wood - metabolism Xylem cell-wall-bound phenolics designer lignins 4-hydroxybenzoic acid ester-linked pendent groups lignin engineering
ISSN:	1467-7644, 1467-7652, 1467-7652
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Ester‐linked p ‐hydroxybenzoate occurs naturally in poplar lignin as pendent groups that can be released by mild alkaline hydrolysis. These ‘clip‐off’ phenolics can be separated from biomass and upgraded into diverse high‐value bioproducts. We introduced a bacterial chorismate pyruvate lyase gene into transgenic poplar trees with the aim of producing more p ‐hydroxybenzoate from chorismate, itself a metabolic precursor to lignin. By driving heterologous expression specifically in the plastids of cells undergoing secondary wall formation, this strategy achieved a 50% increase in cell‐wall‐bound p ‐hydroxybenzoate in mature wood and nearly 10 times more in developing xylem relative to control trees. Comparable amounts also remained as soluble p ‐hydroxybenzoate‐containing xylem metabolites, pointing to even greater engineering potential. Mass spectrometry imaging showed that the elevated p ‐hydroxybenzoylation was largely restricted to the cell walls of fibres. Finally, transgenic lines outperformed control trees in assays of saccharification potential. This study highlights the biotech potential of cell‐wall‐bound phenolate esters and demonstrates the importance of substrate supply in lignin engineering.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 14 content type line 23 SC0018409 USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
ISSN:	1467-7644 1467-7652 1467-7652
DOI:	10.1111/pbi.13935