AUTHOR=Mottiar Yaseen , Mansfield Shawn D. 

TITLE=Lignin p-Hydroxybenzoylation Is Negatively Correlated With Syringyl Units in Poplar

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.938083

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.938083

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The lignin found in the cell walls of poplar fibres is decorated with ester-linked <italic>p</italic>-hydroxybenzoate moieties that originate from the participation of acylated monolignols in lignin polymerisation. Although little is known about the biological implications of these cell-wall constituents, it has historically been postulated that acylated monolignols might promote lignification in syringyl lignin-rich species such as poplar. However, cell-wall-bound <italic>p</italic>-hydroxybenzoate groups were negatively correlated with syringyl units in a collection of 316 unrelated genotypes of black cottonwood (<italic>Populus trichocarpa</italic>). Based upon this observation, several alternative hypotheses on the occurrence of lignin acylation are presented.</p>