Analysis of pectin mutants and natural accessions of Arabidopsis highlights the impact of de-methyl-esterified homogalacturonan on tissue saccharification.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Plant biomass is a potentially important renewable source of energy and industrial products. The natural recalcitrance of the cell walls to enzymatic degradation (saccharification), which plants have evolved to defend themselves from biotic stresses, represents a major bottleneck for the industrial bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomasses. The identification of factors that influence the cell wall recalcitrance to saccharification may help to overcome the existing limitations that hamper the utilization of biomass.

Results

Here we have investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana the impact of homogalacturonan (HG) content and structure on tissue saccharification. We characterized mutants affected in genes encoding proteins involved in HG biosynthesis (quasimodo2-1; qua

SUBMITTER: Francocci F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3843582 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature