Journal ArticleDOI
Biosynthesis and genetic engineering of lignin
TLDR
Progress in the knowledge of the lignin biosynthesis pathway has been obtained and it is now clear that the pathway is more complex than initially thought and there is evidence for alternative pathways.Abstract:
Lignin, a complex heteropolymer of cinnamyl alcohols, is, second to cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Lignification has played a determining role in the adaptation of plants to terrestrial life. As all extracellular polymers, lignin confers rheological properties to plant tissues and participates probably in many other functions in cell and tissue physiology or in cell-to-cell communication. Economically, lignin is very important because it determines wood quality and it affects the pulp and paper-making processes as well as the digestibility of forage crops. For all these reasons the lignin biosynthesis pathway has been the subject of many studies. At present, most genes encoding the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of lignin have been cloned and characterized. Various recent studies report on the alteration of the expression of these genes by genetic engineering, yielding plants with modified lignin. In addition, several mutants have been analyzed with changes in lignin content or lignin composition resulting in altered properties. Thanks to these studies, progress in the knowledge of the lignin biosynthesis pathway has been obtained. It is now clear that the pathway is more complex than initially thought and there is evidence for alternative pathways. A fine manipulation of the lignin content and/or composition in plants is now achievable and could have important economical and environmental benefits.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Lignin Biosynthesis and Structure
TL;DR: Lignin is the generic term for a large group of aromatic polymers resulting from the oxidative combinatorial coupling of 4-hydroxyphenylpropanoids, deposited predominantly in the walls of secondarily thickened cells, making them lignin-like polymers.
Journal ArticleDOI
Extraction and analysis of phenolics in food
Marian Naczk,Fereidoon Shahidi +1 more
TL;DR: This paper provides a summary of background information and methodologies used for the analysis of phenolics in foods and nutraceuticals.
Journal ArticleDOI
Lignins: Natural polymers from oxidative coupling of 4-hydroxyphenyl- propanoids
John Ralph,Knut Lundquist,Gösta Brunow,Fachuang Lu,Hoon Kim,Paul F. Schatz,Jane M. Marita,Ronald D. Hatfield,Sally A. Ralph,Jorgen Holst Christensen,Wout Boerjan +10 more
TL;DR: 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 the structure.
Journal ArticleDOI
Phenolics in cereals, fruits and vegetables: Occurrence, extraction and analysis
Marian Naczk,Fereidoon Shahidi +1 more
TL;DR: This overview provides a cursory account of the source, extraction and analysis of phenolics in fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Journal ArticleDOI
Production of plant secondary metabolites: a historical perspective
TL;DR: Plant cell culture technologies were introduced at the end of the 1960s as a possible tool for both studying and producing plant secondary metabolites, and it is now possible to manipulate the pathways that lead to secondary plant compounds.