The lignin toolbox of the model grass Setaria viridis

Author(s)

Ferreira, Savio Siqueira ^[1] ; Simoes, Marcella Siqueira ^[1] ; Carvalho, Gabriel Garon ^[1] ; Alves de Lima, Leydson Gabriel ^[1] ; de Almeida Svartman, Raphael Mendes ^[1] ; Cesarino, Igor ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Rua Matao 277, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Plant Molecular Biology; v. 101, n. 3, p. 235-255, OCT 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Lignin has been recognized as a major recalcitrant factor negatively affecting the processing of plant biomass into bioproducts. However, the efficient manipulation of lignin deposition in order to generate optimized crops for the biorefinery requires a fundamental knowledge of several aspects of lignin metabolism, including regulation, biosynthesis and polymerization. The current availability of an annotated genome for the model grass Setaria viridis allows the genome-wide characterization of genes involved in the metabolic pathway leading to the production of monolignols, the main building blocks of lignin. Here we performed a comprehensive study of monolignol biosynthetic genes as an initial step into the characterization of lignin metabolism in S. viridis. A total of 56 genes encoding bona fide enzymes catalyzing the consecutive ten steps of the monolignol biosynthetic pathway were identified in the S. viridis genome. A combination of comparative phylogenetic studies, high-throughput expression analysis and quantitative RT-PCR analysis was further employed to identify the family members potentially involved in developmental lignification. Accordingly, 14 genes clustered with genes from closely related species with a known function in lignification and showed an expression pattern that correlates with lignin deposition. These genes were considered the ``core lignin toolbox{''} responsible for the constitutive, developmental lignification in S. viridis. These results provide the basis for further understanding lignin deposition in C4 grasses and will ultimately allow the validation of biotechnological strategies to produce crops with enhanced processing properties. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/06917-1 - Transcriptomic analysis and co-expression network construction in model systems for identification of genes involved in secondary cell wall deposition and lignin metabolism in grasses
• Grantee: Sávio de Siqueira Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/50189-0 - Can we control how plants produce their biomass?
• Grantee: Igor Cesarino
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/02527-1 - Development of model systems in sorghum and a systems biology approach to unravel the molecular mechanisms controlling lignin metabolism in grasses
• Grantee: Igor Cesarino
• Support Opportunities: Program for Research on Bioenergy (BIOEN) - Young Investigators Grants