title: Lignification: Flexibility, Biosynthesis and Regulation.
abstract: Lignin is a complex phenolic polymer that is deposited in the secondary cell wall of all vascular plants. The evolution of lignin is considered to be a critical event during vascular plant development, because lignin provides mechanical strength, rigidity, and hydrophobicity to secondary cell walls to allow plants to grow tall and transport water and nutrients over a long distance. In recent years, great research efforts have been made to genetically alter lignin biosynthesis to improve biomass degradability for the production of second-generation biofuels. This global focus on lignin research has significantly advanced our understanding of the lignification process. Based on these advances, here I provide an overview of lignin composition, the biosynthesis pathway and its regulation.
authors.affiliation: Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: qzhao@tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008031:Lignin