Lignin content in natural Populus variants affects sugar release

Studer, Michael Hans-Peter; DeMartini, J. D.; Davis, M. F.; Sykes, R. W.; Davison, B.; Keller, M.; Tuskan, G. A.; Wyman, C. E. (2011). Lignin content in natural Populus variants affects sugar release Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(15), pp. 6300-6305. National Academy of Sciences 10.1073/pnas.1009252108

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he primary obstacle to producing renewable fuels from lignocellulosic biomass is a plant's recalcitrance to releasing sugars bound in the cell wall. From a sample set of wood cores representing 1,100 individual undomesticated Populus trichocarpa trees, 47 extreme phenotypes were selected across measured lignin content and ratio of syringyl and guaiacyl units (S/G ratio). This subset was tested for total sugar release through enzymatic hydrolysis alone as well as through combined hot-water pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis using a high-throughput screening method. The total amount of glucan and xylan released varied widely among samples, with total sugar yields of up to 92% of the theoretical maximum. A strong negative correlation between sugar release and lignin content was only found for pretreated samples with an S/G ratio < 2.0. For higher S/G ratios, sugar release was generally higher, and the negative influence of lignin was less pronounced. When examined separately, only glucose release was correlated with lignin content and S/G ratio in this manner, whereas xylose release depended on the S/G ratio alone. For enzymatic hydrolysis without pretreatment, sugar release increased significantly with decreasing lignin content below 20%, irrespective of the S/G ratio. Furthermore, certain samples featuring average lignin content and S/G ratios exhibited exceptional sugar release. These facts suggest that factors beyond lignin and S/G ratio influence recalcitrance to sugar release and point to a critical need for deeper understanding of cell-wall structure before plants can be rationally engineered for reduced recalcitrance and efficient biofuels production.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Resource-efficient agricultural production systems
School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Agriculture

Name:

Studer, Michael Hans-Peter0000-0003-1083-0967;
DeMartini, J. D.;
Davis, M. F.;
Sykes, R. W.;
Davison, B.;
Keller, M.;
Tuskan, G. A. and
Wyman, C. E.

Subjects:

Q Science > Q Science (General)

ISSN:

0027-8424

Publisher:

National Academy of Sciences

Language:

English

Submitter:

Michael Hans-Peter Studer

Date Deposited:

21 Apr 2020 12:53

Last Modified:

18 Dec 2020 13:29

Publisher DOI:

10.1073/pnas.1009252108

ARBOR DOI:

10.24451/arbor.10127

URI:

https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/10127

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