Scientists Create Low-Lignin Plants for Biofuel Production
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energys Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) have created a new enzyme that effectively “masks” the synthetic precursors of lignin, a plant cell wall component that makes plant biomass particularly difficult to break down.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energys Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) have created a new enzyme that effectively "masks" the synthetic precursors of lignin, a plant cell wall component that makes plant biomass particularly difficult to break down. This enzyme substantially reduced lignin content in the cell wall and increased the digestibility of cell wall biomass, making it easier to convert plant biomass into biofuels.
Biologist Chang-Jun Liu led the team of BNL scientists and a nuclear magnetic resonance team at the University of Wisconsin collaborated in the research work. The team first engineered their enzyme in 2009 but when inserted into Arabidopsis, did not work. They discovered a new enzyme that reduced the lignin content in Arabidopsis by up to 24 percent.
Liu said that "Our enzyme currently modifies the major lignin precursors indiscriminately. Therefore, in plants, it effectively reduces total lignin content but does not change lignin composition."
More details about this research is available at http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/PR_display.asp?prID=1439&template=Today.