A Molecular Blueprint of Lignin Repression. (November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Behr, Marc; Guerriero, Gea; Grima-Pettenati, Jacqueline; Baucher, Marie
• Is Part Of: Trends in plant science. Volume 24:Number 11(2019)
• Page Start: 1052
• Page End: 1064
• Publication Date: 2019-11
• Subjects: lignification -- post-transcriptional regulation -- secondary cell wall -- transcriptional repression; Botany -- Periodicals; Botanique -- Périodiques; Botany; Periodicals; 580.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.07.006
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-1385

Abstract

Abstract : Although lignin is essential to ensure the correct growth and development of land plants, it may be an obstacle to the production of lignocellulosics-based biofuels, and reduces the nutritional quality of crops used for human consumption or livestock feed. The need to tailor the lignocellulosic biomass for more efficient biofuel production or for improved plant digestibility has fostered considerable advances in our understanding of the lignin biosynthetic pathway and its regulation. Most of the described regulators are transcriptional activators of lignin biosynthesis, but considerably less attention has been devoted to the repressors of this pathway. We provide a comprehensive overview of the molecular factors that negatively impact on the lignification process at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Highlights: Negative regulators of lignin biosynthesis are promising tools to tailor biomass properties to meet human requirements. The Mediator complex adds another level of transcription regulation to the several transcription factors that are known to repress lignification. Targeted transcript or protein degradation, as well as protein–protein interactions, fine-tune the spatiotemporal pattern of lignification. Understanding the interactions between genes, non-coding RNAs, and proteins opens new avenues towards understanding secondary cell wall formation.