Lignin engineering in forest trees: From gene discovery to field trials

Paving the way towards future‐proofing our crops

“…Alternatively, completely different lignin polymers with different composition and properties can be engineered using genes from other biosynthetic pathways or other taxa in a synthetic biology approach (Hoengenaert et al, 2022; Oyarce et al, 2019; Wilkerson et al, 2014). This opens promising perspectives (De Meester et al, 2022), particularly in the context of the ‘Bio‐Innovation’ and ‘My Choice’ scenarios.…”

A guide to lignin valorization in biorefineries: traditional, recent, and forthcoming approaches to convert raw lignocellulose into valuable materials and chemicals

“…Genetic modication of plants may be exploited to create lignin structures that are less networked, with larger contents of labile b-O-4 ′ linkages, and possessing a higher ratio of S-units, which are less prone to undergo recondensation due to the presence of methoxy groups in the ortho-positions. [432][433][434][435][436] In addition, labile ester bonds may be introduced in the lignin backbone to facilitate its fragmentation. A well-known example is the incorporation of ferulate linkages to create a so-called zip-lignin, [436][437][438] which can be more easily extracted and depolymerized during biomass pretreatment.…”

“…438 However, these alterations can typically be realized only up to a certain extent, since they also exert an impact on other key biological functions of the lignin polymer, such as imparting structural resistance to plant cells, ultimately hampering plant growth, and reducing biomass yields. 432,[434][435][436]439 The improvement of the yield and selectivity of lignin derivatives from biomass processing also encompasses the design of the depolymerization step. In this context, the suppression of recondensation reactions that occur at the high temperatures typically applied for lignin depolymerization processes is a crucial objective.…”

Accelerating wood domestication in forest trees through genome editing: Advances and prospects

“…To accelerate wood domestication in forest trees, efforts must be centered around elucidating the most promising combination of targets. One way to achieve this builds on the wealth of reverse genetic studies that have investigated the function of individual genes [84][85][86]. Alternatively, promising genes can be derived from multi-omics approaches.…”