par Baucher, Marie ;Christensen, Jorgen Holst;Meyermans, Hugo;Chen, Cuiying;Van Doorsselaere, Jan;Leplé, Jean-Charles;Pilate, Gilles;Petit-Conil, Michel;Jouanin, Lise;Chabbert, Brigitte;Monties, Bernard;Van Montagu, Marc;Boerjan, Wout
Référence Polymer Degradation and Stability, 59, 1-3, page (47-52)
Publication Publié, 1998
Référence Polymer Degradation and Stability, 59, 1-3, page (47-52)
Publication Publié, 1998
Article révisé par les pairs
Résumé : | For the production of high-quality paper, lignin needs to be removed from cellulose. This process is energy requiring, expensive and toxic. Molecular biology offers tools to generate trees with a modified lignin composition to facilitate the extractability of lignin. We have cloned several genes encoding enzymes in the methylation of the lignin monomers [bi-specific caffeic acid/5-hydroxyferulic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) and caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase], and encoding enzymes specific for the lignin biosynthesis pathway [cinnamoyl-CoA reductase and cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD)]. The antisense strategy is used to study the effect of a down-regulation of these enzymes on the lignin content and the lignin composition of poplar wood. Our results demonstrate that the monomeric composition of lignin was dramatically affected by down-regulation of COMT. Transgenic poplars with a reduced CAD activity have better pulping properties, due to a higher extractability of the lignin. © 1998 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved. |