U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research: Lincoln, NE
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    CareersSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Plains Area Lincoln, Nebraska Wheat, Sorghum and Forage Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Sattler, Scottitem
                                            Funnell-Harris, Deanna
  Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 3/14/2013
                                    Publication  Date: 4/5/2013
                                    Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/56310Citation: Sattler, S.E., Funnell-Harris, D.L. 2013. Modifying lignin to improve bioenergy feedstocks: strengthening the barrier against pathogens? Frontiers in Plant Science. 4: 70. DOI 10.3389/fpls.2013.00070Interpretive Summary: Lignin is a component of plants cell walls, where it strengthens and stiffens the cell wall structure.  However, the presence of lignin within plant cell walls makes the biomass more difficult to convert into biofuels.  Therefore, reducing lignin has become a major goal to improve crop plants for bioenergy uses.  In addition, plants also make lignin in the cell walls to defend themselves against disease-causing fungi and bacteria.  This article explores the impact of changing the amount of lignin in plant cell wall on their ability defend themselves against diseases, and the implications for developing new plant varieties for the biofuels industry.  Surprisingly, plants with a reduced amount of lignin may be more resistant to some disease-causing fungi.  Potential reasons for this unexpected result are also examined in this article.
                                Technical Abstract: Lignin is a ubiquitous polymer present in cell walls of all vascular plants, where it rigidifies and strengthens the cell wall structure through covalent cross-linkages to cell wall polysaccharides.  The presence of lignin makes the cell wall recalcitrant to conversion into fermentable sugars for bioenergy uses.  Therefore, reducing lignin content and modifying its linkages have become major targets for bioenergy feedstock development through either biotechnology or traditional plant breeding.  In addition, lignin synthesis has long been implicated as an important plant defense mechanism against pathogens, because lignin synthesis is often induced at the site of pathogen attack.  This article explores the impact of lignin modifications have on the susceptibility of a range of plant species to their associated pathogens, and the implications for development of feedstocks for the second-generation biofuels industry.  Surprisingly, most preliminary data suggest that plants modified in lignin synthesis may display improved resistance to their associated pathogens, which is explored in this article.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov