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PubMed2003

Reduced cellulose synthesis invokes lignification and defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The cell wall determines the shape of plant cells and is also the primary interface for pathogen interactions. The structure of the cell wall can be modified in response to developmental and environmental cues, for example to strengthen the wall and to create barriers to pathogen ingress. The ectopic lignin 1-1 and 1-2 (eli1-1 and eli1-2) mutations lead to an aberrant deposition of lignin, a complex phenylpropanoid polymer. We show that the eli1 mutants occur in the cellulose synthase gene CESA3 in Arabidopsis thaliana and cause reduced cellulose synthesis, providing further evidence for the function of multiple CESA subunits in cellulose synthesis. We show that reduced levels of cellulose synthesis, caused by mutations in cellulose synthase genes and in genes affecting cell expansion, activate lignin synthesis and defense responses through jasmonate and ethylene and other signaling pathways. These observations suggest that mechanisms monitoring cell wall integrity can activate lignification and defense responses.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed2003

Characterisation of a pine MYB that regulates lignification.

A member of the R2R3-MYB family of transcription factors was cloned from a cDNA library constructed from RNA isolated from differentiating pine xylem. This MYB, Pinus taeda MYB4 (PtMYB4), is expressed in cells undergoing lignification, as revealed by in situ RT-PCR. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) showed that recombinant PtMYB4 protein is able to bind to DNA motifs known as AC elements. AC elements are ubiquitous in the promoters of genes encoding lignin biosynthetic enzymes. Transcriptional activation assays using yeast showed that PtMYB4 could activate transcription in an AC-element-dependent fashion. Overexpression of PtMYB4 in transgenic tobacco plants altered the accumulation of transcripts corresponding to genes encoding lignin biosynthetic enzymes. Lignin deposition increased in transgenic tobacco plants that overexpressed PtMYB4, and extended to cell types that do not normally lignify. Taken together, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis that PtMYB4 is sufficient to induce lignification, and that it may play this role during wood formation in pine.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Biochemical characterization, molecular cloning and expression of laccases - a divergent gene family - in poplar.

The nature of the enzyme(s) involved in the dehydrogenative polymerization of lignin monomers is still a matter of debate. Potential candidates include laccases which have recently received attention due to their capacity to oxidize lignin monomers and close spatial and temporal correlation with lignin deposition. We have characterized two H2O2-independent phenoloxidases with approximate molecular masses of 90 kDa and 110 kDa from cell walls of Populus euramericana xylem that are capable of oxidizing coniferyl alcohol. The 90-kDa protein was purified to apparent homogeneity and extensively characterized at the biochemical and structural levels. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a plant laccase purified to homogeneity from a lignifying tissue of an angiosperm. The cDNA clones corresponding to the 90-kDa and 110-kDa proteins, lac90 and lac110, were obtained by a PCR-based approach using specific oligonucleotides derived from peptide sequences. Sequence analysis indicated that lac90 and lac110 encoded two distinct laccases. In addition, heterologous screening using an Acer pseudoplatanus laccase cDNA enabled us to obtain three additional cDNAs (lac1, lac2, lac3) that did not correspond to lac90 and lac110. The five laccase cDNAs correspond to a highly divergent multigene family but Northern analysis with gene-specific probes indicated that all of the genes are exclusively and abundantly expressed in stems. These results highlight the polymorphism of plant laccases by an integrated biochemical and molecular approach, and provide the tools that will enable us to clearly determine the function of these enzymes in plants by molecular and genetic approaches.

Acrolein↗

PubMed2004

Leaf traits and herbivory rates of tropical tree species differing in successional status.

We evaluated leaf characteristics and herbivory intensities for saplings of fifteen tropical tree species differing in their successional position. Eight leaf traits were selected, related to the costs of leaf display (specific leaf area [SLA], water content), photosynthesis (N and P concentration per unit mass), and herbivory defence (lignin concentration, C:N ratio). We hypothesised that species traits are shaped by variation in abiotic and biotic (herbivory) selection pressures along the successional gradient. All leaf traits varied with the successional position of the species. The SLA, water content and nutrient concentration decreased, and lignin concentration increased with the successional position. Herbivory damage (defined as the percentage of damage found at one moment in time) varied from 0.9-8.5% among the species, but was not related to their successional position. Herbivory damage appeared to be a poor estimator of the herbivory rate experienced by species, due to the confounding effect of leaf lifespan. Herbivory rate (defined as percentage leaf area removal per unit time) declined with the successional position of the species. Herbivory rate was only positively correlated to water content, and negatively correlated to lignin concentration, suggesting that herbivores select leaves based upon their digestibility rather than upon their nutritive value. Surprisingly, most species traits change linearly with succession, while resource availability (light, nutrients) declines exponentially with succession.

Lignin↗

PubMed2004

Evolution of xylem lignification and hydrogel transport regulation.

In vascular plants, the polysaccharide-based walls of water-conducting cells are strengthened by impregnation with the polyphenolic polymer lignin. The fine-scale patterning of lignin deposition in water-conducting cells is shown here to vary phylogenetically across vascular plants. The extent to which water transport in xylem cells can be modified in response to changes in the ionic content of xylem sap also is shown to vary in correlation with variation in lignification patterns, consistent with the proposed mechanism for hydraulic response through size change of middle-lamella pectins. This covariation suggests that the fine-scale distribution of hydrophilic polysaccharides and hydrophobic lignin can affect hydraulic as well as mechanical properties, and that the evolutionary diversification of vascular cells thus reflects biochemical as well as morphological innovations evolved to fulfill opposing cell functions of transport and structural support.

Biological Evolution↗

PubMed2002

Identification of the structure and origin of thioacidolysis marker compounds for cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase deficiency in angiosperms.

Molecular marker compounds, derived from lignin by the thioacidolysis degradative method, for cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) deficiency in angiosperms have been structurally identified as indene derivatives. They are shown to derive from hydroxycinnamyl aldehydes that have undergone 8-O-4-cross-coupling during lignification. As such, they are valuable markers for ascertaining plant responses to various levels of CAD down-regulation. Their derivation illustrates that hydroxycinnamyl aldehydes incorporate into angiosperm lignins by endwise coupling reactions in much the same way as normal monolignols do, suggesting that the hydroxycinnamyl aldehydes should be considered authentic lignin precursors.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1986

In vitro binding of steroid hormones by natural and purified fibers.

The in vitro binding of estrone, estradiol-17 beta, estriol, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and estrone-3-glucuronide by wheat, oat, and corn brans, oat hulls, cellulose, lignin, and cholestyramine resin was measured. The extent of steroid sequestration was characteristic and reproducible for each hormone. Cholestyramine bound an average of 90% of all the steroids tested, whereas cellulose bound the least (12%). Of the other substances tested, each bound the following percentage of unconjugated hormones: lignin, 87%; wheat and oat brans, 45% each; corn bran 44%; and oat hulls, 32%. The conjugated steroid was less likely to bind than the unconjugated steroids. Lignin appeared to be an important component in the interaction with steroid hormones. The results support the hydrophobic nature of adsorption and suggest that the components of fiber in diet should be considered separately when evaluating in vivo metabolic effects.

Adsorption↗

PubMedDate not supplied

In vivo determination of the caloric value of gum arabic in the male rat--biological data.

Sprague-Dawley male rats were given normal diets (UAR A 03) containing various amounts of gum arabic, sucrose and lignin for eight consecutive weeks. The caloric values of the diets were derived by utilizing the indirect method comparing the slopes from food consumption and weight gain curves. While the data obtained from sucrose diets showed that these diets caused a clear incremental effect on energy production with respect to both test animals and controls, and data from lignin diets were found to produce a negative effect on energy yields, gum arabic diets produced results indicating that at certain levels of intake, gum arabic may contribute energy values slightly superior to those of lignin (0 cal-g), possibly between zero and 1 cal/g. However, it was not found possible to attribute a clear-cut quantitative caloric value to this additive from data obtained in this study.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

3-Hydroxyanthranilate in Cryptococcus neoformans: a secreted reductant that does not enable wood rot.

Cryptococcus neoformans secretes 3-hydroxyanthranilate (3HAA), but the utility is unknown. Exogenous 3HAA promoted growth of cultures starved for iron with transferrin, presumably by releasing Fe(III) reductively. Exogenous 3HAA protected C. neoformans from strong oxidants, suggesting a role in resistance to killing by immune cells. 3HAA represents an endogenous laccase substrate, in that crude laccase preparations convert 3HAA to cinnabarinic acid, whereas 3HAA concentrations are higher in Lac- mutants. We isolated hypersecreting mutants as highly fluorescent clones. Because C. neoformans has been isolated from rotting wood, we looked for a role in degradation of lignin. Using cyclic voltammetry, we found no electrochemical evidence that organic oxidation products of 3HAA are capable of oxidizing lignin. We found neither cellulose dehydrogenase nor lignin peroxidase enzymic activity, nor did C. neoformans grow on cellulose as carbon source. We found no evidence for production of Fenton reagent by cultures, even in the presence of transition metal ions or of those and 3HAA. The biological utility of 3HAA may be related to its functions as reducing agent and, conceivably, as laccase substrate. It does not appear to attack wood, nor does C. neoformans appear to have a mechanism to rot wood.

3-Hydroxyanthranilic Acid↗

PubMed1978

Digestion of certain fractions of dietary fiber in humans.

The digestion of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin has been investigated in humans. Two groups of subjects were studied--healthy subjects with an ileostomy and normal subjects. Both were put on a fixed diet of known cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin content. From the feces excreted the fiber components were measured by the acid and neutral detergent method. From the small bowel 84.5% of the ingested cellulose was excreted from the ileostomy subjects. From the normal subjects 22.4% of the ingested cellulose was excreted, indicating approximately 80% of the cellulose was digested in the normal subjects. From the water insoluble ingested hemicelluloses 27.5% were excreted from the small bowel, 4.0% from normal subjects. That is approximately 96% digestion of the hemicelluloses in normal subjects. Lignin was found to be undigested in both the small and large bowel. This has important implications in future fiber research.

Cellulose↗

PubMed1983

Effect of feeding alfalfa and refined plant fibers on the toxicity and metabolism of T-2 toxin in rats.

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary fibers on T-2 toxicosis in rats. Weanling rats were fed varying levels of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and pectin with and without T-2 toxin (3 micrograms/g feed) for 2 weeks. Only lignin showed promise of overcoming feed refusal and growth depression in animals fed T-2 toxin. Further experiments feeding alfalfa meal (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25%) with and without T-2 toxin indicated that this lignin-rich feedstuff could largely overcome feed refusal and growth depression caused by the toxin. There was no effect of diet, however, on the activity of hepatic esterase, the enzyme believed to catabolize T-2 toxin. Rats were fed diets containing 0, 5, 12.5 or 20% alfalfa for 2 weeks and then dosed orally with [3H]T-2 toxin. Dietary alfalfa increased fecal excretion of 3H, whereas urinary excretion was unaffected. Residual 3H in kidney and muscle was reduced with alfalfa feeding when [3H]T-2 toxin was administered orally. Residual 3H in the digesta in the intestinal lumen increased. Alfalfa feeding was found to reduce intestinal transit time. It was concluded that the feeding of alfalfa reduced T-2 toxicosis in rats by binding the toxin in the intestinal lumen thereby promoting fecal excretion.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

The potential of metabolite profiling as a selection tool for genotype discrimination in Populus.

Differences between wild-type Populus tremulaxalba and two transgenic lines with modified lignin monomer composition, were interrogated using metabolic profiling. Analysis of metabolite abundance data by GC-MS, coupled with principal components analysis (PCA), successfully differentiated between lines that had distinct phenotypes, whether samples were taken from the cambial zone or non-lignifying suspension tissue cultures. Interestingly, the GC-MS analysis detected relatively few phenolic metabolites in cambial extracts, although a single metabolite associated with the differentiation between lines was directly related to the phenylpropanoid pathway or other down-stream aspects of lignin biosynthesis. In fact, carbohydrates, which have only an indirect relationship with the modified lignin monomer composition, featured strongly in the line-differentiating aspects of the statistical analysis. Traditional HPLC analysis was employed to verify the GC-MS data. These findings demonstrate that metabolic traits can be dissected reliably and accurately by metabolomic analyses, enabling the discrimination of individual genotypes of the same tree species that exhibit marked differences in industrially relevant wood traits. Furthermore, this validates the potential of using metabolite profiling techniques for marker generation in the context of plant/tree breeding for industrial applications.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed1984

Growth and lignification in seedlings exposed to eight days of microgravity.

Four-day-old pine seedlings and mung bean and oat seeds were prepared for flight on the third Space Transport System Mission (STS-3). The seedlings and seeds were planted in six mini-growth chambers (two chambers per species) which were placed in a plant growth unit (PGU). Another set of seedlings and seeds was prepared and placed in another PGU as the 1 g control. The flight PGU was positioned in the orbiter mid-deck locker area about 11 h prior to launch. The pine seedlings and germinating mung bean and oat seeds were exposed to 194 h of microgravity. The PGU was received at a temporary laboratory about 75 min post-landing. Plants were observed, photographed and the atmospheric gases analyzed at the landing site. The plants were then brought to our Houston laboratory where they were measured and analyzed for lignin and protein content and for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and peroxidase activities. Flight seedlings were shorter than the controls in all three species. Twenty-five to 40 per cent of the mung bean and oat roots were growing upward, and the mung beans showed signs of disorientation. Flight mung beans showed a significant reduction in lignin content in comparison to the controls, and PAL and peroxidase activities were reduced in flight pine seedlings. The results generally support the postulate that lignin synthesis is reduced in near-weightlessness and show other interesting findings.

Avena↗

PubMed2000

Specific accumulation of polysaccharide-linked hydroxycinnamoyl esters in the cell walls of irregularly shaped and collapsed internode parenchyma cells of the dwarf rice mutant Fukei 71.

We examined a novel rice mutant, Fukei 71 (Oryza sativa L.), for alterations in the levels of hydroxycinnamoyl esters that are linked to cell wall polysaccharides and lignin units. In this mutant, a recessive mutation at a single locus caused the collapse of parenchyma cells in the internodes. Light microscopy revealed that the abnormal walls of internode parenchyma cells of Fukei 71 were stained by the Mäule reaction, which is specific for syringyl units in phenolic compounds. These walls were not stained by Wiesner's reagent (phloroglucinol-HCl), which reacts cinnamaldehyde in lignin. Levels of p-coumaric acid (PCA) and ferulic acid (FA) were apparently elevated in the abnormal tissue of the mutant. Western blotting analysis with antibodies specific for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) revealed higher levels of PAL in the abnormal parenchyma tissue of Fukei 71 than in the parenchyma tissue of the parent cultivar Fujiminori. These results and the observation that PAL was produced at a greatly elevated level indicated that the phenylpropanoid pathway that leads to the biosynthesis of polysaccharide-linked FA and PCA was abnormally activated in the irregularly shaped and collapsed internode parenchyma cells, in which the biosynthesis of lignin is normally repressed.

Cell Wall↗

PubMed2006

Monolignol oxidation by xylem peroxidase isoforms of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and silver birch (Betula pendula).

We partially purified peroxidase isoform fractions from xylem extracts of a gymnosperm, Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and an angiosperm, silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), to determine the participation of xylem-localized peroxidases in polymerization of different types of lignin in vivo. Several peroxidase fractions varying in isoelectric point values from acidic to basic were tested for their ability to catalyze the oxidation of the monolignols coniferyl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol and p-coumaryl alcohol in vitro. All of the xylem peroxidases extracted from Norway spruce and most of those from silver birch showed the highest rate of oxidation with coniferyl alcohol in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The exception was an acidic peroxidase fraction (pI 3.60-3.65) from silver birch that exhibited higher oxidation activity for sinapyl alcohol than for coniferyl alcohol. For the xylem enzyme fractions extracted from silver birch, the ability to oxidize the artificial phenolic substrate syringaldazine coincided with high specific activity for sinapyl alcohol. Therefore, we conclude that the acidic, neutral and basic xylem peroxidases of Norway spruce all function in the synthesis of guaiacyl-type lignin, whereas in silver birch the acidic peroxidases preferentially oxidize sinapyl subunits. The latter provides a mechanism for synthesis of guaiacyl-syringyl lignin typical of tracheid cell walls in angiosperm trees.

Betula↗

PubMed2002

Differential expression of two distinct phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes in condensed tannin-accumulating and lignifying cells of quaking aspen.

Lignins, along with condensed tannins (CTs) and salicylate-derived phenolic glycosides, constitute potentially large phenylpropanoid carbon sinks in tissues of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.). Metabolic commitment to each of these sinks varies during development and adaptation, and depends on L-phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), an enzyme catalyzing the deamination of L-phenylalanine to initiate phenylpropanoid metabolism. In Populus spp., PAL is encoded by multiple genes whose expression has been associated with lignification in primary and secondary tissues. We now report cloning two differentially expressed PAL cDNAs that exhibit distinct spatial associations with CT and lignin biosynthesis in developing shoot and root tissues of aspen. PtPAL1 was expressed in certain CT-accumulating, non-lignifying cells of stems, leaves, and roots, and the pattern of PtPAL1 expression varied coordinately with that of CT accumulation along the primary to secondary growth transition in stems. PtPAL2 was expressed in heavily lignified structural cells of shoots, but was also expressed in non-lignifying cells of root tips. Evidence of a role for Pt4CL2, encoding 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase, in determining CT sink strength was gained from cellular co-expression analysis with PAL1 and CTs, and from experiments in which leaf wounding increased PAL1 and 4CL2 expression as well as the relative allocation of carbon to CT with respect to phenolic glycoside, the dominant phenolic sink in aspen leaves. Leaf wounding also increased PAL2 and lignin pathway gene expression, but to a smaller extent. The absence of PAL2 in most CT-accumulating cells provides in situ support for the idea that PAL isoforms function in specific metabolic milieus.

Arabidopsis Proteins↗

PubMed2002

Down-regulation of caffeic acid o-methyltransferase in maize revisited using a transgenic approach.

Transgenic maize (Zea mays) plants were generated with a construct harboring a maize caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) cDNA in the antisense (AS) orientation under the control of the maize Adh1 (alcohol dehydrogenase) promoter. Adh1-driven beta-glucuronidase expression was localized in vascular tissues and lignifying sclerenchyma, indicating its suitability in transgenic experiments aimed at modifying lignin content and composition. One line of AS plants, COMT-AS, displayed a significant reduction in COMT activity (15%-30% residual activity) and barely detectable amounts of COMT protein as determined by western-blot analysis. In this line, transgenes were shown to be stably integrated in the genome and transmitted to the progeny. Biochemical analysis of COMT-AS showed: (a) a strong decrease in Klason lignin content at the flowering stage, (b) a decrease in syringyl units, (c) a lower p-coumaric acid content, and (d) the occurrence of unusual 5-OH guaiacyl units. These results are reminiscent of some characteristics already observed for the maize bm3 (brown-midrib3) mutant, as well as for COMT down-regulated dicots. However, as compared with bm3, COMT down-regulation in the COMT-AS line is less severe in that it is restricted to sclerenchyma cells. To our knowledge, this is the first time that an AS strategy has been applied to modify lignin biosynthesis in a grass species.

Coumaric Acids↗

PubMed2006

GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 encodes a primarily multifunctional cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase in rice.

Lignin content and composition are two important agronomic traits for the utilization of agricultural residues. Rice (Oryza sativa) gold hull and internode phenotype is a classical morphological marker trait that has long been applied to breeding and genetics study. In this study, we have cloned the GOLD HULL AND INTERNODE2 (GH2) gene in rice using a map-based cloning approach. The result shows that the gh2 mutant is a lignin-deficient mutant, and GH2 encodes a cinnamyl-alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD). Consistent with this finding, extracts from roots, internodes, hulls, and panicles of the gh2 plants exhibited drastically reduced CAD activity and undetectable sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activity. When expressed in Escherichia coli, purified recombinant GH2 was found to exhibit strong catalytic ability toward coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde, while the mutant protein gh2 completely lost the corresponding CAD and sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase activities. Further phenotypic analysis of the gh2 mutant plants revealed that the p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl, and sinapyl monomers were reduced in almost the same ratio compared to the wild type. Our results suggest GH2 acts as a primarily multifunctional CAD to synthesize coniferyl and sinapyl alcohol precursors in rice lignin biosynthesis.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗