Oxidative Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass under Non-alkaline Conditions.

Biomass pretreatment methods are commonly used to isolate carbohydrates from biomass, but they often lead to modification, degradation, and/or low yields of lignin. Catalytic fractionation approaches provide a possible solution to these challenges by separating the polymeric sugar and lignin fractions in the presence of a catalyst that promotes cleavage of the lignin into aromatic monomers. Here, we demonstrate an oxidative fractionation method conducted in the presence of a heterogeneous non-precious-metal Co-N-C catalyst and O2 in acetone as the solvent. The process affords a 15 wt% yield of phenolic products bearing aldehydes (vanillin, syringaldehyde) and carboxylic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid), complementing the alkylated phenols obtained from existing reductive catalytic fractionation methods. The oxygenated aromatics derived from this process have appealing features for use in polymer synthesis and/or biological funneling to value-added products, and the non-alkaline conditions associated with this process support preservation of the cellulose, which remains insoluble at reaction conditions and is recovered as a solid.

Performance of three delignifying pretreatments on hardwoods: hydrolysis yields, comprehensive mass balances, and lignin properties.

BACKGROUND: In this work, three pretreatments under investigation at the DOE Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs) were subjected to a side-by-side comparison to assess their performance on model bioenergy hardwoods (a eucalyptus and a hybrid poplar). These include co-solvent-enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation (CELF), pretreatment with an ionic liquid using potentially biomass-derived components (cholinium lysinate or [Ch][Lys]), and two-stage Cu-catalyzed alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreatment (Cu-AHP). For each of the feedstocks, the pretreatments were assessed for their impact on lignin and xylan solubilization and enzymatic hydrolysis yields as a function of enzyme loading. Lignins recovered from the pretreatments were characterized for polysaccharide content, molar mass distributions, ß-aryl ether content, and response to depolymerization by thioacidolysis. RESULTS: All three pretreatments resulted in significant solubilization of lignin and xylan, with the CELF pretreatment solubilizing the majority of both biopolymer categories. Enzymatic hydrolysis yields were shown to exhibit a strong, positive correlation with the lignin solubilized for the low enzyme loadings. The pretreatment-derived solubles in the [Ch][Lys]-pretreated biomass were presumed to contribute to inhibition of enzymatic hydrolysis in the eucalyptus as a substantial fraction of the pretreatment liquor was carried forward into hydrolysis for this pretreatment. The pretreatment-solubilized lignins exhibited significant differences in polysaccharide content, molar mass distributions, aromatic monomer yield by thioacidolysis, and ß-aryl ether content. Key trends include a substantially higher polysaccharide content in the lignins recovered from the [Ch][Lys] pretreatment and high ß-aryl ether contents and aromatic monomer yields from the Cu-AHP pretreatment. For all lignins, the 13C NMR-determined ß-aryl ether content was shown to be correlated with the monomer yield with a second-order functionality. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, it was demonstrated that the three pretreatments highlighted in this study demonstrated uniquely different functionalities in reducing biomass recalcitrance and achieving higher enzymatic hydrolysis yields for the hybrid poplar while yielding a lignin-rich stream that may be suitable for valorization. Furthermore, modification of lignin during pretreatment, particularly cleavage of ß-aryl ether bonds, is shown to be detrimental to subsequent depolymerization.

Structural features of alternative lignin monomers associated with improved digestibility of artificially lignified maize cell walls.

Plant biologists are seeking new approaches for modifying lignin to improve the digestion and utilization of structural polysaccharides in crop cultivars for the production of biofuels, biochemicals, and livestock. To identify promising targets for lignin bioengineering, we artificially lignified maize (Zea mays L.) cell walls with normal monolignols plus 21 structurally diverse alternative monomers to assess their suitability for lignification and for improving fiber digestibility. Lignin formation and structure were assessed by mass balance, Klason lignin, acetyl bromide lignin, gel-state 2D-NMR and thioacidolysis procedures, and digestibility was evaluated with rumen microflora and from glucose production by fungal enzymes following mild acid or base pretreatments. Highly acidic or hydrophilic monomers proved unsuitable for lignin modification because they severely depressed cell wall lignification. By contrast, monomers designed to moderately alter hydrophobicity or introduce cleavable acetal, amide, or ester functionalities into the polymer often readily formed lignin, but most failed to improve digestibility, even after chemical pretreatment. Fortunately, several types of phenylpropanoid derivatives containing multiple ester-linked catechol or pyrogallol units were identified as desirable genetic engineering targets because they readily formed wall-bound polymers and improved digestibility, presumably by blocking cross-linking of lignin to structural polysaccharides and promoting lignin fragmentation during mild acidic and especially alkaline pretreatment.

Estimation of Syringyl Units in Wood Lignins by FT-Raman Spectroscopy.

Syringyl (S) lignin content and the syringyl-to-guaiacyl (S/G) lignin ratio are important characteristics of wood and lignocellulosic biomass. Although numerous methods are available for estimating S lignin units and the S/G ratio, in this work, a new method based on Raman spectroscopy that uses the 370 cm-1 Raman band-area intensity (370-area) was developed. The reliability of the Raman approach for determining S content was first tested by the quantitative analysis of three syringyl lignin models by sampling them, separately, in dioxane and in Avicel. Good linear correlations between the 370 cm-1 intensity and model concentrations were obtained. Next, the percent syringyl (%S) lignin units in various woods were measured by correlating the 370 cm-1 Raman intensity data with values of S units in lignin determined by three regularly used methods, namely, thioacidolysis, DFRC, and 2D-HSQC NMR. The former two methods take into account only the monomers cleaved from ß-O-4-linked lignin units, whereas the NMR method reports S content on the whole cell wall lignin. When the 370-area intensities and %S values from the regularly used methods were correlated, good linear correlations were obtained ( R2 = 0.767, 0.731, and 0.804, respectively, for the three methods). The correlation with the highest R2, i.e., with the 2D NMR method, is proposed for estimating S units in wood lignins by Raman spectroscopy as, in principle, both represent the whole cell wall lignin and not just the portion of lignin that gets cleaved to release monomers. The Raman analysis method is quick, uses minimal harmful chemicals, is carried out nondestructively, and is insensitive to the wet or dry state of the sample. The only limitations are that the sample of wood contains at least 30% S and not be significantly fluorescent, although the latter can be mitigated in some cases.

DRMY1, a Myb-Like Protein, Regulates Cell Expansion and Seed Production in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plant organ development to a specific size and shape is controlled by cell proliferation and cell expansion. Here, we identify a novel Myb-like Arabidopsis gene, Development Related Myb-like1 (DRMY1), which controls cell expansion in both vegetative and reproductive organs. DRMY1 is strongly expressed in developing organs and its expression is reduced by ethylene while it is induced by ABA. DRMY1 has a Myb-like DNA-binding domain, which is predominantly localized in the nucleus and does not exhibit transcriptional activation activity. The loss-of-function T-DNA insertion mutant drmy1 shows reduced organ growth and cell expansion, which is associated with changes in the cell wall matrix polysaccharides. Interestingly, overexpression of DRMY1 in Arabidopsis does not lead to enhanced organ growth. Expression of genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis/remodeling, ribosome biogenesis and in ethylene and ABA signaling pathways is changed with the deficiency of DRMY1. Our results suggest that DRMY1 plays an essential role in organ development by regulating cell expansion either directly by affecting cell wall architecture and/or cytoplasmic growth or indirectly through the ethylene and/or ABA signaling pathways.

Cell Wall Composition and Biomass Recalcitrance Differences Within a Genotypically Diverse Set of Brachypodium distachyon Inbred Lines.

Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) has emerged as a useful model system for studying traits unique to graminaceous species including bioenergy crop grasses owing to its amenability to laboratory experimentation and the availability of extensive genetic and germplasm resources. Considerable natural variation has been uncovered for a variety of traits including flowering time, vernalization responsiveness, and above-ground growth characteristics. However, cell wall composition differences remain underexplored. Therefore, we assessed cell wall-related traits relevant to biomass conversion to biofuels in seven Brachypodium inbred lines that were chosen based on their high level of genotypic diversity as well as available genome sequences and recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. Senesced stems plus leaf sheaths from these lines exhibited significant differences in acetyl bromide soluble lignin (ABSL), cell wall polysaccharide-derived sugars, hydroxycinnamates content, and syringyl:guaiacyl:p-hydroxyphenyl (S:G:H) lignin ratios. Free glucose, sucrose, and starch content also differed significantly in senesced stems, as did the amounts of sugars released from cell wall polysaccharides (digestibility) upon exposure to a panel of thermochemical pretreatments followed by hydrolytic enzymatic digestion. Correlations were identified between inbred line lignin compositions and plant growth characteristics such as biomass accumulation and heading date (HD), and between amounts of cell wall polysaccharides and biomass digestibility. Finally, stem cell wall p-coumarate and ferulate contents and free-sugars content changed significantly with increased duration of vernalization for some inbred lines. Taken together, these results show that Brachypodium displays substantial phenotypic variation with respect to cell wall composition and biomass digestibility, with some compositional differences correlating with growth characteristics. Moreover, besides influencing HD and biomass accumulation, vernalization was found to affect cell wall composition and free sugars accumulation in some Brachypodium inbred lines, suggesting genetic differences in how vernalization affects carbon flux to polysaccharides. The availability of related RIL populations will allow for the genetic and molecular dissection of this natural variation, the knowledge of which may inform ways to genetically improve bioenergy crop grasses.

BdCESA7, BdCESA8, and BdPMT Utility Promoter Constructs for Targeted Expression to Secondary Cell-Wall-Forming Cells of Grasses.

Utility vectors with promoters that confer desired spatial and temporal expression patterns are useful tools for studying gene and cellular function and for industrial applications. To target the expression of DNA sequences of interest to cells forming plant secondary cell walls, which generate most of the vegetative biomass, upstream regulatory sequences of the Brachypodium distachyon lignin biosynthetic gene BdPMT and the cellulose synthase genes BdCESA7 and BdCESA8 were isolated and cloned into binary vectors designed for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of monocots. Expression patterns were assessed using the ß-glucuronidase gene GUSPlus and X-glucuronide staining. All three promoters showed strong expression levels in stem tissue at the base of internodes where cell wall deposition is most active, in both vascular bundle xylem vessels and tracheids, and in interfascicular tissues, with expression less pronounced in developmentally older tissues. In leaves, BdCESA7 and BdCESA8 promoter-driven expression was strongest in leaf veins, leaf margins, and trichomes; relatively weaker and patchy expression was observed in the epidermis. BdPMT promoter-driven expression was similar to the BdCESA promoters expression patterns, including strong expression in trichomes. The intensity and extent of GUS staining varied considerably between transgenic lines, suggesting that positional effects influenced promoter activity. Introducing the BdPMT and BdCESA8 Open Reading Frames into BdPMT and BdCESA8 utility promoter binary vectors, respectively, and transforming those constructs into Brachypodium pmt and cesa8 loss-of-function mutants resulted in rescue of the corresponding mutant phenotypes. This work therefore validates the functionality of these utility promoter binary vectors for use in Brachypodium and likely other grass species. The identification, in Bdcesa8-1 T-DNA mutant stems, of an 80% reduction in crystalline cellulose levels confirms that the BdCESA8 gene is a secondary-cell-wall-forming cellulose synthase.

Down-regulation of p-coumaroyl quinate/shikimate 3'-hydroxylase (C3'H) and cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) genes in the lignin biosynthetic pathway of Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis leads to improved sugar release.

BACKGROUND: Lignocellulosic materials provide an attractive replacement for food-based crops used to produce ethanol. Understanding the interactions within the cell wall is vital to overcome the highly recalcitrant nature of biomass. One factor imparting plant cell wall recalcitrance is lignin, which can be manipulated by making changes in the lignin biosynthetic pathway. In this study, eucalyptus down-regulated in expression of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H, EC 1.14.13.11) or p-coumaroyl quinate/shikimate 3'-hydroxylase (C3'H, EC 1.14.13.36) were evaluated for cell wall composition and reduced recalcitrance. RESULTS: Eucalyptus trees with down-regulated C4H or C3'H expression displayed lowered overall lignin content. The control samples had an average of 29.6 %, the C3'H reduced lines had an average of 21.7 %, and the C4H reduced lines had an average of 18.9 % lignin from wet chemical analysis. The C3'H and C4H down-regulated lines had different lignin compositions with average S/G/H ratios of 48.5/33.2/18.3 for the C3'H reduced lines and 59.0/39.8/1.2 for the C4H reduced lines, compared to the control with 65.9/33.2/1.0. Both the C4H and C3'H down-regulated lines had reduced recalcitrance as indicated by increased sugar release as determined using enzymatic conversion assays utilizing both no pretreatment and a hot water pretreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Lowering lignin content rather than altering sinapyl alcohol/coniferyl alcohol/4-coumaryl alcohol ratios was found to have the largest impact on reducing recalcitrance of the transgenic eucalyptus variants. The development of lower recalcitrance trees opens up the possibility of using alternative pretreatment strategies in biomass conversion processes that can reduce processing costs.

Effects of PHENYLALANINE AMMONIA LYASE (PAL) knockdown on cell wall composition, biomass digestibility, and biotic and abiotic stress responses in Brachypodium.

The phenylpropanoid pathway in plants synthesizes a variety of structural and defence compounds, and is an important target in efforts to reduce cell wall lignin for improved biomass conversion to biofuels. Little is known concerning the trade-offs in grasses when perturbing the function of the first gene family in the pathway, PHENYLALANINE AMMONIA LYASE (PAL). Therefore, PAL isoforms in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon were targeted, by RNA interference (RNAi), and large reductions (up to 85%) in stem tissue transcript abundance for two of the eight putative BdPAL genes were identified. The cell walls of stems of BdPAL-knockdown plants had reductions of 43% in lignin and 57% in cell wall-bound ferulate, and a nearly 2-fold increase in the amounts of polysaccharide-derived carbohydrates released by thermochemical and hydrolytic enzymic partial digestion. PAL-knockdown plants exhibited delayed development and reduced root growth, along with increased susceptibilities to the fungal pathogens Fusarium culmorum and Magnaporthe oryzae. Surprisingly, these plants generally had wild-type (WT) resistances to caterpillar herbivory, drought, and ultraviolet light. RNA sequencing analyses revealed that the expression of genes associated with stress responses including ethylene biosynthesis and signalling were significantly altered in PAL knocked-down plants under non-challenging conditions. These data reveal that, although an attenuation of the phenylpropanoid pathway increases carbohydrate availability for biofuel, it can adversely affect plant growth and disease resistance to fungal pathogens. The data identify notable differences between the stress responses of these monocot pal mutants versus Arabidopsis (a dicot) pal mutants and provide insights into the challenges that may arise when deploying phenylpropanoid pathway-altered bioenergy crops.

Transcriptional and metabolic analysis of senescence induced by preventing pollination in maize.

Transcriptional and metabolic changes were evaluated during senescence induced by preventing pollination in the B73 genotype of maize (Zea mays). Accumulation of free glucose and starch and loss of chlorophyll in leaf was manifested early at 12 d after anthesis (DAA), while global transcriptional and phenotypic changes were evident only at 24 DAA. Internodes exhibited major transcriptomic changes only at 30 DAA. Overlaying expression data onto metabolic pathways revealed involvement of many novel pathways, including those involved in cell wall biosynthesis. To investigate the overlap between induced and natural senescence, transcriptional data from induced senescence in maize was compared with that reported for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) undergoing natural and sugar-induced senescence. Notable similarities with natural senescence in Arabidopsis included up-regulation of senescence-associated genes (SAGs), ethylene and jasmonic acid biosynthetic genes, APETALA2, ethylene-responsive element binding protein, and no apical meristem transcription factors. However, differences from natural senescence were highlighted by unaltered expression of a subset of the SAGs, and cytokinin, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid biosynthesis genes. Key genes up-regulated during sugar-induced senescence in Arabidopsis, including a cysteine protease (SAG12) and three flavonoid biosynthesis genes (PRODUCTION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT1 (PAP1), PAP2, and LEUCOANTHOCYANIDIN DIOXYGENASE), were also induced, suggesting similarities in senescence induced by pollination prevention and sugar application. Coexpression analysis revealed networks involving known senescence-related genes and novel candidates; 82 of these were shared between leaf and internode networks, highlighting similarities in induced senescence in these tissues. Insights from this study will be valuable in systems biology of senescence in maize and other grasses.

Comprehensive compositional analysis of plant cell walls (Lignocellulosic biomass) part I: lignin.

The need for renewable, carbon neutral, and sustainable raw materials for industry and society has become one of the most pressing issues for the 21st century. This has rekindled interest in the use of plant products as industrial raw materials for the production of liquid fuels for transportation(1) and other products such as biocomposite materials(7). Plant biomass remains one of the greatest untapped reserves on the planet(4). It is mostly comprised of cell walls that are composed of energy rich polymers including cellulose, various hemicelluloses (matrix polysaccharides, and the polyphenol lignin(6) and thus sometimes termed lignocellulosics. However, plant cell walls have evolved to be recalcitrant to degradation as walls provide tensile strength to cells and the entire plants, ward off pathogens, and allow water to be transported throughout the plant; in the case of trees up to more the 100 m above ground level. Due to the various functions of walls, there is an immense structural diversity within the walls of different plant species and cell types within a single plant(4). Hence, depending of what crop species, crop variety, or plant tissue is used for a biorefinery, the processing steps for depolymerization by chemical/enzymatic processes and subsequent fermentation of the various sugars to liquid biofuels need to be adjusted and optimized. This fact underpins the need for a thorough characterization of plant biomass feedstocks. Here we describe a comprehensive analytical methodology that enables the determination of the composition of lignocellulosics and is amenable to a medium to high-throughput analysis. In this first part we focus on the analysis of the polyphenol lignin (Figure 1). The method starts of with preparing destarched cell wall material. The resulting lignocellulosics are then split up to determine its lignin content by acetylbromide solubilization(3), and its lignin composition in terms of its syringyl, guaiacyl- and p-hydroxyphenyl units(5). The protocol for analyzing the carbohydrates in lignocellulosic biomass including cellulose content and matrix polysaccharide composition is discussed in Part II(2).

Comprehensive compositional analysis of plant cell walls (lignocellulosic biomass) part II: carbohydrates.

The need for renewable, carbon neutral, and sustainable raw materials for industry and society has become one of the most pressing issues for the 21st century. This has rekindled interest in the use of plant products as industrial raw materials for the production of liquid fuels for transportation(2) and other products such as biocomposite materials(6). Plant biomass remains one of the greatest untapped reserves on the planet(4). It is mostly comprised of cell walls that are composed of energy rich polymers including cellulose, various hemicelluloses, and the polyphenol lignin(5) and thus sometimes termed lignocellulosics. However, plant cell walls have evolved to be recalcitrant to degradation as walls contribute extensively to the strength and structural integrity of the entire plant. Despite its necessary rigidity, the cell wall is a highly dynamic entity that is metabolically active and plays crucial roles in numerous cell activities such as plant growth and differentiation(5). Due to the various functions of walls, there is an immense structural diversity within the walls of different plant species and cell types within a single plant(4). Hence, depending of what crop species, crop variety, or plant tissue is used for a biorefinery, the processing steps for depolymerisation by chemical/enzymatic processes and subsequent fermentation of the various sugars to liquid biofuels need to be adjusted and optimized. This fact underpins the need for a thorough characterization of plant biomass feedstocks. Here we describe a comprehensive analytical methodology that enables the determination of the composition of lignocellulosics and is amenable to a medium to high-throughput analysis (Figure 1). The method starts of with preparing destarched cell wall material. The resulting lignocellulosics are then split up to determine its monosaccharide composition of the hemicelluloses and other matrix polysaccharides1, and its content of crystalline cellulose(7). The protocol for analyzing the lignin components in lignocellulosic biomass is discussed in Part I(3).