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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Sugar release and growth of biofuel crops are improved by downregulation of pectin biosynthesis

TLDR
Downregulation of GAUT4 reduces HG and rhamnogalacturonan II (RGII), reduces wall calcium and boron, and increases extractability of cell wall sugars, which improves biomass yields and sugar release from biomass processing.
Abstract
Cell walls in crops and trees have been engineered for production of biofuels and commodity chemicals, but engineered varieties often fail multi-year field trials and are not commercialized. We engineered reduced expression of a pectin biosynthesis gene (Galacturonosyltransferase 4, GAUT4) in switchgrass and poplar, and find that this improves biomass yields and sugar release from biomass processing. Both traits were maintained in a 3-year field trial of GAUT4-knockdown switchgrass, with up to sevenfold increased saccharification and ethanol production and sixfold increased biomass yield compared with control plants. We show that GAUT4 is an α-1,4-galacturonosyltransferase that synthesizes homogalacturonan (HG). Downregulation of GAUT4 reduces HG and rhamnogalacturonan II (RGII), reduces wall calcium and boron, and increases extractability of cell wall sugars. Decreased recalcitrance in biomass processing and increased growth are likely due to reduced HG and RGII cross-linking in the cell wall.

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Journal ArticleDOI

The Multifaceted Role of Pectin Methylesterase Inhibitors (PMEIs)

TL;DR: This review aims to highlight recent updates in understanding of the PMEI gene family, their regulation and structure, interaction with PMEs, as well as their function in response to stress and during development.
Journal ArticleDOI

Breeding progress and preparedness for mass‐scale deployment of perennial lignocellulosic biomass crops switchgrass, miscanthus, willow and poplar

John Clifton-Brown, +59 more
- 01 Jan 2019 - 
TL;DR: It is concluded that sustained public investment in breeding plays a key role in delivering future mass‐scale deployment of PBCs.
Journal ArticleDOI

Plant cell wall integrity maintenance in model plants and crop species-relevant cell wall components and underlying guiding principles

TL;DR: An overview of the cell wall polysaccharides forming the bulk of plant cell walls in both monocotyledonous and dicotenous plants and the effects their impairment can have is provided.
Journal ArticleDOI

Cell wall traits that influence plant development, immunity, and bioconversion.

TL;DR: In this review several cell wall traits, mainly related to pectin, one of the major matrix components, will be discussed in relation to plant development, immunity and industrial bioconversion of biomass, especially for energy production.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis

TL;DR: Fiji is a distribution of the popular open-source software ImageJ focused on biological-image analysis that facilitates the transformation of new algorithms into ImageJ plugins that can be shared with end users through an integrated update system.
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GUS fusions: beta‐glucuronidase as a sensitive and versatile gene fusion marker in higher plants.

TL;DR: GUS is very stable, and tissue extracts continue to show high levels of GUS activity after prolonged storage, and Histochemical analysis has been used to demonstrate the localization of gene activity in cells and tissues of transformed plants.
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Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture

TL;DR: Per capita demand for crops, when measured as caloric or protein content of all crops combined, has been a similarly increasing function of per capita real income since 1960 and forecasts a 100–110% increase in global crop demand from 2005 to 2050.
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Biomass recalcitrance: engineering plants and enzymes for biofuels production.

TL;DR: Here, the natural resistance of plant cell walls to microbial and enzymatic deconstruction is considered, collectively known as “biomass recalcitrance,” which is largely responsible for the high cost of lignocellulose conversion.
Journal ArticleDOI

Structural models of primary cell walls in flowering plants: consistency of molecular structure with the physical properties of the walls during growth

TL;DR: This review integrates information on the chemical structure of individual polymers with data obtained from new techniques used to probe the arrangement of the polymers within the walls of individual cells consistent with the physical properties of the wall and its components.
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