Skip to main content
Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

Download PDF
  • Note
  • Published:

Profiling of phenylpropanoid monomers in developing xylem tissue of transgenic aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Journal of Wood Science volume 56, pages 71–76 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Here we describe alterations in the cinnamate/monolignol pathway in three transgenic aspen lines: one with downregulated expression of 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL), one with upregulated expression of coniferaldehyde 5-hydroxylase (CAld5H), and a 4CL downregulated/CAld5H upregulated line. Compared with the wild type, the 4CL downregulated line showed significantly increased levels of p-hydroxycinnamic acids such as p-coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic acids. In contrast, the CAld5H upregulated line had increased content of p-coumaryl and 5-hydroxyconiferyl alcohols. In the 4CL downregulated line, it was likely that most hydroxycinnamic acids were glycosylated. These results strongly suggest that the downregulation of 4CL and upregulation of CAld5H disrupt the metabolic flow through the cinnamate/monolignol pathway and thus alter the amount and structure of its final product, lignin.

References

  1. Li L, Zhou Y, Cheng X, Sun J, Marta JM, Ralph J, Chiang VL (2003) Combinatorial modification of multiple lignin traits in trees through multigene cotransformation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100:4939–4944

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hu WJ, Lung J, Harding SA, Popko JL, Ralph J, Stokke DD, Tsai CJ, Chiang VL (1999) Repression of lignin biosynthesis promotes cellulose accumulation and growth in transgenic trees. Nat Biotechnol 17:808–812

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Sakakibara N, Nakatsubo T. Suzuki S, Shibata D, Shimada M, Umezawa T (2007) Metabolic analysis of the cinnamate/monolignol pathway in Carthamus tinctorius seeds by a stable-isotopedilution method. Org Biomol Chem 5:802–815

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Suzuki S, Nakatsubo T, Umezawa T, Shimada M (2002) First in vitro norlignan formation with Asparagus officinalis enzyme preparation. Chem Commun 2002:1088–1089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Schoental R (1973) Carcinogenicity of wood shavings. Lab Anim 7:47–49

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Meyermans H, Morreel K, Lapierre C, Pollet B, De Bruyn A, Busson R, Herdewijn P, Devreeese B, Van Beeumen J, Marita JM, Ralph J, Chen C, Burggraeve B, Van Montagu M, Messens E, Boerjan W (2000) Modifications in lignin and accumulation of phenolic glycosides in poplar xylem upon downregulation of caffeoyl coenzyme A O-methyltransferase, an enzyme involved in lignin biosynthesis. J Biol Chem 275:36899–36909

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Chiang VL (2006) Monolignol biosynthesis and genetic engineering of lignin in trees: a review. Environ Chem Lett 4:143–146

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Osakabe K, Tsao CC, Li L, Popko JL, Umezawa T, Carraway DT, Smeltzer RH, Joshi CP, Chiang VL (1999) Coniferyl aldehyde 5-hydroxylation and methylation direct syringyl lignin biosynthesis in angiosperms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96:8955–8960

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Li L, Popko JL, Umezawa T, Chiang VL (2000) 5-Hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde modulates enzymatic methylation for syringyl monolignol formation, a new view of monolignol biosynthesis in angiosperms. J Biol Chem 275:6537–6545

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Li L, Chen XF, Leshkevich J, Umezawa T, Harding SA, Chiang VL (2001) The last step of syringyl monolignol biosynthesis in angiosperms is regulated by a novel gene encoding sinapyl alcohol dehydrogenase. Plant Cell 13:1567–1585

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Shiro Suzuki

    Present address: Institute of Sustainability Science, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

  2. Laigeng Li

    Present address: Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China

  3. Norikazu Sakakibara

    Present address: Faculty of Kagawa Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokushima University of Arts and Sciences, Kagawa, 769-2193, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Biotechnology Group, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7247, USA

    Shiro Suzuki, Laigeng Li & Vincent L. Chiang

  2. Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, 611-0011, Japan

    Norikazu Sakakibara & Toshiaki Umezawa

Authors
  1. Shiro Suzuki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Norikazu Sakakibara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laigeng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Toshiaki Umezawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vincent L. Chiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shiro Suzuki.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Suzuki, S., Sakakibara, N., Li, L. et al. Profiling of phenylpropanoid monomers in developing xylem tissue of transgenic aspen (Populus tremuloides). J Wood Sci 56, 71–76 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-009-1059-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-009-1059-8

Key words