A functional cascading of lignin modification via repression of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase for bioproduction and anti-oxidation in rice

作者：Hua Yu, Guifen Zhang, Jingyuan Liu, Peng Liu, Hao Peng, Zhipeng Teng, Yong Li, Xifeng Ren, Chunxiang Fu, Jingfeng Tang, Mi Li, Yanting Wang, Lingqiang Wang, Liangcai Peng · 发表于：Journal of Advanced Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jare.2025.01.048 · 被引用次数：28 · 研究领域：Plant Gene Expression Analysis、Lignin and Wood Chemistry、Biofuel production and bioconversion

INTRODUCTION: Crop straws provide substantial biomass resources that are transformable for sustainable biofuels and valuable bioproducts. However, the natural lignocellulose recalcitrance results in an expensive biomass process and secondary waste liberation. As lignin is a major recalcitrant factor, genetic engineering of lignin biosynthesis is increasingly being implemented in bioenergy crops, but much remains unclear about the desired lignocellulose alteration and resulting function. OBJECTIVES: This study attempted to explore the mechanisms of lignin modification responsible for efficient lignocellulose conversion in vitro and an effective plant anti-oxidation response in vivo. METHODS: We initially selected specific rice mutants by performing modern CRISPR/cas9 editing with caffeic acid O-methyltransferase involved in the synthetic pathways of monolignols (G, S) and ferulic acid (FA), and then explored lignocellulose conversion and plant cadmium (Cd) accumulation using advanced chemical, biochemical and thermal-chemical analyses. RESULTS: Notable lignin modification was achieved from the predominately synergistic down-regulation of S-monomer synthesis in three mutants. This consequently upgraded lignocellulose porosity by up to 1.8 folds to account for significantly enhanced biomass saccharification and bioethanol production by 20 %-26 % relative to the wild-type. The modified lignin also favors the dissection of diverse lignin nanoparticles with dimensions reduced by 1....