Structural alterations of lignins in transgenic poplars with depressed cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase or caffeic acid O-Methyltransferase activity have an opposite impact on the efficiency of industrial kraft pulping
1999
Lapierre, Catherine, C. | Pollet, Brigitte, B. | Petit-Conil, Michel | Toval, Gabriel | Romero, Javier | Pilate, Gilles, G. | Leplé, Jean-Charles | Boerjan, Wout | Ferret, Valérie | de Nadaï, Véronique | Jouanin, Lise, L. | Chimie Biologique (UCB) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon (INA P-G) | Centre Technique du Papier (CTP) | Empresa Nacional de Celulosas de Espana ; Partenaires INRAE | Unité de recherche Amélioration, Génétique et Physiologie Forestières (AGPF) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) | Universiteit Gent = Ghent University = Université de Gand (UGENT) | Flanders Institute for Biotechnology | Laboratoire de biologie cellulaire et moléculaire ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. We evaluated lignin profiles and pulping performances of 2-year-old transgenic poplar (Populus tremula × Populus alba) lines severely altered in the expression of caffeic acid/5-hydroxyferulic acidO-methyltransferase (COMT) or cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). Transgenic poplars with CAD orCOMT antisense constructs showed growth similar to control trees. CAD down-regulated poplars displayed a red coloration mainly in the outer xylem. A 90% lower COMT activity did not change lignin content but dramatically increased the frequency of guaiacyl units and resistant biphenyl linkages in lignin. This alteration severely lowered the efficiency of kraft pulping. The Klason lignin level of CAD-transformed poplars was slightly lower than that of the control. Whereas CAD down-regulation did not change the frequency of labile ether bonds or guaiacyl units in lignin, it increased the proportion of syringaldehyde and diarylpropane structures and, more importantly with regard to kraft pulping, of free phenolic groups in lignin. In the most depressed line, ASCAD21, a substantially higher content in free phenolic units facilitated lignin solubilization and fragmentation during kraft pulping. These results point the way to genetic modification of lignin structure to improve wood quality for the pulp industry.
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