scholarly journals A Novel NAC Transcription Factor From Eucalyptus, EgNAC141, Positively Regulates Lignin Biosynthesis and Increases Lignin Deposition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
YiMing Sun ◽  
Chunxue Jiang ◽  
Ruiqi Jiang ◽  
Fengying Wang ◽  
Zhenguo Zhang ◽  
...  

Wood formation is a complicated process under the control of a large set of transcription factors. NAC transcription factors are considered “master switches” in this process. However, few NAC members have been cloned and characterized in Eucalyptus, which is one of the most economically important woody plants. Here, we reported an NAC transcription factor from Eucalyptus grandis, EgNAC141, which has no Arabidopsis orthologs associated with xylogenesis-related processes. EgNAC141 was predominantly expressed in lignin-rich tissues, such as the stem and xylem. Overexpression of EgNAC141 in Arabidopsis resulted in stronger lignification, larger xylem, and higher lignin content. The expression of lignin biosynthetic genes in transgenic plants was significantly higher compared with wild-type plants. The transient expression of EgNAC141 activated the expression of Arabidopsis lignin biosynthetic genes in a dual-luciferase assay. Overall, these results showed that EgNAC141 is a positive regulator of lignin biosynthesis and may help us understand the regulatory mechanism of wood formation.

2016 ◽  
Vol 213 (1) ◽  
pp. 287-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marçal Soler ◽  
Anna Plasencia ◽  
Romain Larbat ◽  
Cécile Pouzet ◽  
Alain Jauneau ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng He ◽  
Katja Machemer-Noonan ◽  
Philippe Golfier ◽  
Faride Unda ◽  
Johanna Dechert ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Understanding lignin biosynthesis and composition is of central importance for sustainable bioenergy and biomaterials production. Species of the genus Miscanthus have emerged as promising bioenergy crop due to their rapid growth and modest nutrient requirements. However, lignin polymerization in Miscanthus is poorly understood. It was previously shown that plant laccases are phenol oxidases that have multiple functions in plant, one of which is the polymerization of monolignols. Herein, we link a newly discovered Miscanthus laccase, MsLAC1, to cell wall lignification. Characterization of recombinant MsLAC1 and Arabidopsis transgenic plants expressing MsLAC1 were carried out to understand the function of MsLAC1 both in vitro and in vivo. Results Using a comprehensive suite of molecular, biochemical and histochemical analyses, we show that MsLAC1 localizes to cell walls and identify Miscanthus transcription factors capable of regulating MsLAC1 expression. In addition, MsLAC1 complements the Arabidopsis lac4–2 lac17 mutant and recombinant MsLAC1 is able to oxidize monolignol in vitro. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing MsLAC1 show higher G-lignin content, although recombinant MsLAC1 seemed to prefer sinapyl alcohol as substrate. Conclusions In summary, our results suggest that MsLAC1 is regulated by secondary cell wall MYB transcription factors and is involved in lignification of xylem fibers. This report identifies MsLAC1 as a promising breeding target in Miscanthus for biofuel and biomaterial applications.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (45) ◽  
pp. E9722-E9729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Chung Jimmy Lin ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Quanzi Li ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Jack P. Wang ◽  
...  

Secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis is the biological process that generates wood, an important renewable feedstock for materials and energy. NAC domain transcription factors, particularly Vascular-Related NAC-Domain (VND) and Secondary Wall-Associated NAC Domain (SND) proteins, are known to regulate SCW differentiation. The regulation of VND and SND is important to maintain homeostasis for plants to avoid abnormal growth and development. We previously identified a splice variant, PtrSND1-A2IR, derived from PtrSND1-A2 as a dominant-negative regulator, which suppresses the transactivation of all PtrSND1 family members. PtrSND1-A2IR also suppresses the self-activation of the PtrSND1 family members except for its cognate transcription factor, PtrSND1-A2, suggesting the existence of an unknown factor needed to regulate PtrSND1-A2. Here, a splice variant, PtrVND6-C1IR, derived from PtrVND6-C1 was discovered that suppresses the protein functions of all PtrVND6 family members. PtrVND6-C1IR also suppresses the expression of all PtrSND1 members, including PtrSND1-A2, demonstrating that PtrVND6-C1IR is the previously unidentified regulator of PtrSND1-A2. We also found that PtrVND6-C1IR cannot suppress the expression of its cognate transcription factor, PtrVND6-C1. PtrVND6-C1 is suppressed by PtrSND1-A2IR. Both PtrVND6-C1IR and PtrSND1-A2IR cannot suppress their cognate transcription factors but can suppress all members of the other family. The results indicate that the splice variants from the PtrVND6 and PtrSND1 family may exert reciprocal cross-regulation for complete transcriptional regulation of these two families in wood formation. This reciprocal cross-regulation between families suggests a general mechanism among NAC domain proteins and likely other transcription factors, where intron-retained splice variants provide an additional level of regulation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Kanberga-Silina ◽  
A. Jansons ◽  
Dainis Rungis

Abstract Wood volume and quality are the most important aspects of commercial forestry production, and studies of wood formation are important in order to increase the value and efficiency of forestry production. The phenylpropanoid pathway produces various compounds with diverse functions both for plant defence against biotic and abiotic stress as well as structural development. One of the main roles is monolignol production for lignin biosynthesis, which is a crucial aspect of wood formation. For this study three candidate genes involved in lignin biosynthesis were selected: phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL1), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR). Candidate gene expression was analysed in selected individuals with high and low wood density from open-pollinated Scots pine families during early wood (EW) and late wood (LW) formation and correlation between expression of these genes, total lignin content, and wood density was determined. Wood density values for analysed trees were similar within tree families but differed significantly between families with high and low wood density (p=1,06E-20). Wood density was slightly negatively correlated with lignin content (r=-0.36, p=0.038), but only in individuals in the high density wood group. In trees with low wood density, expression of the CAD gene was significantly lower in late wood formation compared to early wood (p=0.00179). In trees with high wood density, expression of the PAL1 gene was five times higher during early wood formation compared to late wood formation. A positive correlation was detected between PAL1 and CCR gene expression during early wood formation (r=0.804) and late wood formation (r=0.466).


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yu ◽  
Huizi Liu ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Caiqiu Gao ◽  
Liwang Qi ◽  
...  

The MYB (v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog) family is one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, and is widely involved in the regulation of plant metabolism. In this study, we show that a MYB4 transcription factor, BpMYB4, identified from birch (Betula platyphylla Suk.) and homologous to EgMYB1 from Eucalyptus robusta Smith and ZmMYB31 from Zea mays L. is involved in secondary cell wall synthesis. The expression level of BpMYB4 was higher in flowers relative to other tissues, and was induced by artificial bending and gravitational stimuli in developing xylem tissues. The expression of this gene was not enriched in the developing xylem during the active season, and showed higher transcript levels in xylem tissues around sprouting and near the dormant period. BpMYB4 also was induced express by abiotic stress. Functional analysis indicated that expression of BpMYB4 in transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants could promote the growth of stems, and result in increased number of inflorescence stems and shoots. Anatomical observation of stem sections showed lower lignin deposition, and a chemical contents test also demonstrated increased cellulose and decreased lignin content in the transgenic plants. In addition, treatment with 100 mM NaCl and 200 mM mannitol resulted in the germination rate of the over-expressed lines being higher than that of the wild-type seeds. The proline content in transgenic plants was higher than that in WT, but MDA content was lower than that in WT. Further investigation in birch using transient transformation techniques indicated that overexpression of BpMYB4 could scavenge hydrogen peroxide and O2.– and reduce cell damage, compared with the wild-type plants. Therefore, we believe that BpMYB4 promotes stem development and cellulose biosynthesis as an inhibitor of lignin biosynthesis, and has a function in abiotic stress resistance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Ge ◽  
Yan-na Shi ◽  
Meng-xue Zhang ◽  
Xian Li ◽  
Xue-ren Yin ◽  
...  

Loquat fruit accumulates lignin in its flesh when undergoing chilling injury during postharvest storage, making it a suitable model for the study of flesh lignification. Transcriptional regulation of lignin biosynthesis is principally controlled by the NAC-MYB transcriptional cascade in model plants. Previous research has demonstrated that EjMYB8 activates lignin biosynthesis through direct interaction with the promoter of Ej4CL1. However, the classic NAC-MYB gene regulation network has not been established. Here, the MADS-box gene EjAGL65 was discovered by screening a cDNA library using the EjMYB8 promoter as bait in yeast. A phylogenetic analysis and structural comparisons revealed that EjAGL65 belongs to the Mδ subgroup of the MADS-box family, whose members have not been reported as being involved in the regulation of lignin deposition. EjAGL65 transcription was downregulated at 0°C compared to 5°C, indicating a negative correlation with the change of lignin content. A dual-luciferase assay indicated that EjAGL65 is capable of inhibiting the promoter activity of EjMYB8 in vivo. These results showed that the Mδ MADS-box gene EjAGL65 transcriptionally regulates EjMYB8 during postharvest chilling induced flesh lignification, which differs from the classical regulation model of lignin biosynthesis that has been illustrated for developmental lignin accumulation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kawaoka ◽  
K. Nanto ◽  
K. Ishii ◽  
H. Ebinuma

Abstract We report a reduction of lignin content in the woody plant Eucalyptus camaldulensis by the suppression of gene expression of the LIM domain transcription factor. Previously, we identified a cDNA encoding the tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) LIM domain transcription factor, Nt1iml, involved in lignin biosynthesis and that specifically binds to an important cis-acting element, the PALbox sequence. The orthologous Eucalyptus gene of Ntliml, namely Ecliml, was isolated from the E. camaldulensis cDNA library (84% amino acid identity). The antisense Ntliml construct with a kanamycin-resistant gene was introduced into E. camaldulensis. The transgenic Eucalyptus plants grown in the greenhouse showed decreased expression levels of severallignin biosynthesis genes, phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-hydroxycinnamate CoA ligase (4CL). The abnormal phenotypic changes and a 29% reduction of lignin content were observed in the line LG12, in which the transcript level of Ecliml was most1y suppressed. Ec1iml is one of the key transcription factors involved in lignin biosynthesis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangxu Meng ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Nanbo Jiao ◽  
Xiujie Zhang ◽  
...  

Given the importance of wood in many industrial applications, much research has focused on wood formation, especially lignin biosynthesis. However, the mechanisms governing the regulation of lignin biosynthesis in the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) remain to be elucidated. Here, we gained insight into the mechanisms of rubber tree lignin biosynthesis using reaction wood (wood with abnormal tissue structure induced by gravity or artificial mechanical treatment) as an experimental model. We performed transcriptome analysis of rubber tree mature xylem from tension wood (TW), opposite wood (OW), and normal wood (NW) using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 214, 1,280, and 32 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in TW vs. NW, OW vs. NW, and TW vs. OW, respectively. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs from different comparison groups showed that zeatin biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant–pathogen interaction pathways may play important roles in reaction wood formation. Sixteen transcripts involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and 129 transcripts encoding transcription factors (TFs) were used to construct a TF–gene regulatory network for rubber tree lignin biosynthesis. Among them, MYB, C2H2, and NAC TFs could regulate all the DEGs involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Overall, this study identified candidate genes and TFs likely involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and provides novel insights into the mechanisms regulating rubber tree lignin biosynthesis.


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