Fundamental features of microbial cellulose utilization are examined at successively higher levels of aggregation encompassing the structure and composition of cellulosic biomass, taxonomic diversity, cellulase enzyme systems, molecular biology of cellulase enzymes, physiology of cellulolytic microorganisms, ecological aspects of cellulase-degrading communities, and rate-limiting factors in nature. The methodological basis for studying microbial cellulose utilization is considered relative to quantification of cells and enzymes in the presence of solid substrates as well as apparatus and analysis for cellulose-grown continuous cultures. Quantitative description of cellulose hydrolysis is addressed with respect to adsorption of cellulase enzymes, rates of enzymatic hydrolysis, bioenergetics of microbial cellulose utilization, kinetics of microbial cellulose utilization, and contrasting features compared to soluble substrate kinetics. A biological perspective on processing cellulosic biomass is presented, including features of pretreated substrates and alternative process configurations. Organism development is considered for "consolidated bioprocessing" (CBP), in which the production of cellulolytic enzymes, hydrolysis of biomass, and fermentation of resulting sugars to desired products occur in one step. Two organism development strategies for CBP are examined: (i) improve product yield and tolerance in microorganisms able to utilize cellulose, or (ii) express a heterologous system for cellulose hydrolysis and utilization in microorganisms that exhibit high product yield and tolerance. A concluding discussion identifies unresolved issues pertaining to microbial cellulose utilization, suggests approaches by which such issues might be resolved, and contrasts a microbially oriented cellulose hydrolysis paradigm to the more conventional enzymatically oriented paradigm in both fundamental and applied contexts.

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Microbial cellulose utilization: fundamentals and biotechnology.

Lignins are complex natural polymers resulting from oxidative coupling of, primarily, 4-hydroxyphenylpropanoids. An understanding of their nature is evolving as a result of detailed structural studies, recently aided by the availability of lignin-biosynthetic-pathway mutants and transgenics. The currently accepted theory is that the lignin polymer is formed by combinatorial-like phenolic coupling reactions, via radicals generated by peroxidase-H2O2, under simple chemical control where monolignols react endwise with the growing polymer. As a result, the actual structure of the lignin macromolecule is not absolutely defined or determined. The ``randomness'' of linkage generation (which is not truly statistically random but governed, as is any chemical reaction, by the supply of reactants, the matrix, etc.) and the astronomical number of possible isomers of even a simple polymer structure, suggest a low probability of two lignin macromolecules being identical. A recent challenge to the currently accepted theory of chemically controlled lignification, attempting to bring lignin into line with more organized biopolymers such as proteins, is logically inconsistent with the most basic details of lignin structure. Lignins may derive in part from monomers and conjugates other than the three primary monolignols (p-coumaryl, coniferyl, and sinapyl alcohols). The plasticity of the combinatorial polymerization reactions allows monomer substitution and significant variations in final structure which, in many cases, the plant appears to tolerate. As such, lignification is seen as a marvelously evolved process allowing plants considerable flexibility in dealing with various environmental stresses, and conferring on them a striking ability to remain viable even when humans or nature alter ``required'' lignin-biosynthetic-pathway genes/enzymes. The malleability offers significant opportunities to engineer the structures of lignins beyond the limits explored to date.

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Lignins: Natural polymers from oxidative coupling of 4-hydroxyphenyl- propanoids

Green composites from sustainable cellulose nanofibrils: A review

Methods in Lignin Chemistry

The processes underlying lignification, which for many years have been the near-exclusive purview of chemists and biochemists, have more recently been approached using both classical forward genetic screens and targeted reverse genetic approaches such as antisense suppression, RNAi, and characterization of insertional mutants. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of lignin biosynthesis and structure, with emphasis on mutant and transgenic plants that have contributed to this knowledge. We also discuss ongoing work aimed at elucidating the relationship between lignin structure and function in vivo, as well as the phenotypic consequences arising from genetic manipulation of the lignin biosynthetic pathway.

The Genetics of Lignin Biosynthesis: Connecting Genotype to Phenotype

The degree of substitution (DS) and distribution of O-acetyl groups of water-soluble cellulose acetate (CA) were investigated by 13C-NMR For this purpose, three different series of CA samples with low DS were prepared by respective homogeneous reaction, ie, (1) deacetylation of cellulose triacetate (CTA) in acetic acid—water solution (D-series), (2) reaction of CTA with hydrazine (H-series), and (3) acetylation of cellulose with acetic anhydride in a 10% LiCl-dimethylacetamide solution (A-series) It was found that (i) water-soluble CA can be obtained only from D-series products, (ii) the DS value of water-soluble CA ranges from 05 to 11, (iii) the D-series products exhibit little difference between the relative DS values at C-2, C-3 and C-6 hydroxyl groups, and (iv) the relative DS at C-6 hydroxyl groups is very high compared to those at C-2 and C-3 hydroxyl groups in H- and A-series products Aqueous solution of water-soluble CA (D-series sample) showed no gel—sol transition, even when the temperature was raised to 95°C X-ray diffraction observations revealed that the water-soluble D-series samples were essentially noncrystalline, but the water-insoluble A-series samples were crystalline It was also found that the relative ease of acetylation is C-6 > C-2 > C-3

13C‐NMR spectral studies on the distribution of substituents in water‐soluble cellulose acetate

13C-NMR spectra of ring carbons and O-acetyl carbonyl carbons of cellulose acetate (CA) in dimethyl sulfoxide-d6 were analyzed. The CA samples with the degree of substitution (DS) ranging from 0.84 and 1.91 were prepared by homogeneous acetylation of cellulose with acetic anhydride in a 10% LiCl/dimethyl acetamide solvent. It was found that the use of these low DS samples permitted easier assignments not only of the ring carbon but also of the O-acetyl carbonyl carbon signals. The assignments were confirmed by comparing with the 1H-NMR spectra of the samples obtained by complete acetylation of the corresponding CA samples with acetyl-d3 chloride. Two methods for determining the distribution of O-acetyl groups of CA, i.e., the relative DS at the three different types of hydroxyl groups, were developed. One is based on the measurements of the relative intensities of the signals for the ring carbons and the other is based on the measurements of the relative intensities of the signals for the O-acetyl carbonyl carbons.

13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of cellulose acetate

-3, 5-Disubstituted p-coumaryl alcohols (3-methoxy-5-iodo-, 3, 5-diiodo-, 3-methoxy-5-nitro-, 3, 5-dinitro-, 3, 5-dimethoxyand 3, 5-dimethyl-p-coumaryl alcohols) were synthesized and dehydrogenated to their dimeric compounds with ferric chloride in dioxane (nonpolar solvent) and acetone-water (polar solvent), respectively. Yields of the ,B-ethers were, for example, 85 % (sinapyl alcohol) and 86 % (3,5-diiodo-p-coumaryl alcohol) in dioxane, and 27 % (the former) and 80 % (the latter) in acetone-water, respectively. These results suggest that the most effective factor in the radical coupling of these alcohols is the electronic effects of the substituent groups, but not the steric hindrance. Syringylglycerol,B-sinapyl ether was obtained in a high yield from sinapyl alcohol when dioxane was used as a solvent.

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Dehydrogenative Polymerization of 3,5-Disubstituted p-Coumaryl Alcohols

Metabolic differences in the formation of guaiacyl and syringyl lignins were explained in terms of the different functions of O-methyltransferases and reducing enzymes which participate in methylation and reduction of the hydroxycinnamic acid intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway of these two types of lignins. Sinapyl alcohol was dehydrogenated with peroxidase and H2O2 under various reaction conditions. Chemical properties of the dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) formed were characterized, and the possible occurrence of syringyl lignin in hardwood was discussed. DHP and dimers of p-coumaryl alcohol were also characterized and discussed in relation to the formation of grass lignin which contains p-hydroxyphenyl propane as an additional lignin monomer.

Differences in biosyntheses of guaiacyl and syringyl lignins in woods

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Mitsuhiko Tanahashi

Papers

13C‐NMR spectral studies on the distribution of substituents in water‐soluble cellulose acetate

13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of cellulose acetate

Dehydrogenative Polymerization of 3,5-Disubstituted p-Coumaryl Alcohols

Differences in biosyntheses of guaiacyl and syringyl lignins in woods

Characterization of Explosion Wood : 1. Structure and Physical Properties