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Wai CM, Zhang J, Jones TC, Nagai C, Ming R. Cell wall metabolism and hexose allocation contribute to biomass accumulation in high yielding extreme segregants of a Saccharum interspecific F2 population. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:773. [PMID: 29020919 PMCID: PMC5637070 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4158-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sugarcane is an emerging dual-purpose biofuel crop for energy and sugar production, owing to its rapid growth rate, high sucrose storage in the stems, and high lignocellulosic yield. It has the highest biomass production reaching 1.9 billion tonnes in 2014 worldwide. RESULTS To improve sugarcane biomass accumulation, we developed an interspecific cross between Saccharum officinarum 'LA Purple' and Saccharum robustum 'MOL5829'. Selected F1 individuals were self-pollinated to generate a transgressive F2 population with a wide range of biomass yield. Leaf and stem internodes of fourteen high biomass and eight low biomass F2 extreme segregants were used for RNA-seq to decipher the molecular mechanism of rapid plant growth and dry weight accumulation. Gene Ontology terms involved in cell wall metabolism and carbohydrate catabolism were enriched among 3274 differentially expressed genes between high and low biomass groups. Up-regulation of cellulose metabolism, pectin degradation and lignin biosynthesis genes were observed in the high biomass group, in conjunction with higher transcript levels of callose metabolic genes and the cell wall loosening enzyme expansin. Furthermore, UDP-glucose biosynthesis and sucrose conversion genes were differentially expressed between the two groups. A positive correlation between stem glucose, but not sucrose, levels and dry weight was detected. CONCLUSIONS We thus postulated that the high biomass sugarcane plants rapidly convert sucrose to UDP-glucose, which is the building block of cell wall polymers and callose, in order to maintain the rapid plant growth. The gene interaction of cell wall metabolism, hexose allocation and cell division contributes to biomass yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching Man Wai
- FAFU and UIUC-SIB Joint Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Corps, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 China
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL USA
| | - Jisen Zhang
- FAFU and UIUC-SIB Joint Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Corps, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 China
| | | | | | - Ray Ming
- FAFU and UIUC-SIB Joint Center for Genomics and Biotechnology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Haixia Applied Plant Systems Biology, Key Laboratory of Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Corps, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 China
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL USA
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Bhatia R, Gallagher JA, Gomez LD, Bosch M. Genetic engineering of grass cell wall polysaccharides for biorefining. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2017; 15:1071-1092. [PMID: 28557198 PMCID: PMC5552484 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Grasses represent an abundant and widespread source of lignocellulosic biomass, which has yet to fulfil its potential as a feedstock for biorefining into renewable and sustainable biofuels and commodity chemicals. The inherent recalcitrance of lignocellulosic materials to deconstruction is the most crucial limitation for the commercial viability and economic feasibility of biomass biorefining. Over the last decade, the targeted genetic engineering of grasses has become more proficient, enabling rational approaches to modify lignocellulose with the aim of making it more amenable to bioconversion. In this review, we provide an overview of transgenic strategies and targets to tailor grass cell wall polysaccharides for biorefining applications. The bioengineering efforts and opportunities summarized here rely primarily on (A) reprogramming gene regulatory networks responsible for the biosynthesis of lignocellulose, (B) remodelling the chemical structure and substitution patterns of cell wall polysaccharides and (C) expressing lignocellulose degrading and/or modifying enzymes in planta. It is anticipated that outputs from the rational engineering of grass cell wall polysaccharides by such strategies could help in realizing an economically sustainable, grass-derived lignocellulose processing industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh Bhatia
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS)Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwythUK
| | - Joe A. Gallagher
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS)Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwythUK
| | | | - Maurice Bosch
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS)Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwythUK
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53
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van der Weijde T, Kamei CLA, Severing EI, Torres AF, Gomez LD, Dolstra O, Maliepaard CA, McQueen-Mason SJ, Visser RGF, Trindade LM. Genetic complexity of miscanthus cell wall composition and biomass quality for biofuels. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:406. [PMID: 28545405 PMCID: PMC5445440 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3802-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Miscanthus sinensis is a high yielding perennial grass species with great potential as a bioenergy feedstock. One of the challenges that currently impedes commercial cellulosic biofuel production is the technical difficulty to efficiently convert lignocellulosic biomass into biofuel. The development of feedstocks with better biomass quality will improve conversion efficiency and the sustainability of the value-chain. Progress in the genetic improvement of biomass quality may be substantially expedited by the development of genetic markers associated to quality traits, which can be used in a marker-assisted selection program. RESULTS To this end, a mapping population was developed by crossing two parents of contrasting cell wall composition. The performance of 182 F1 offspring individuals along with the parents was evaluated in a field trial with a randomized block design with three replicates. Plants were phenotyped for cell wall composition and conversion efficiency characters in the second and third growth season after establishment. A new SNP-based genetic map for M. sinensis was built using a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach, which resulted in 464 short-sequence uniparental markers that formed 16 linkage groups in the male map and 17 linkage groups in the female map. A total of 86 QTLs for a variety of biomass quality characteristics were identified, 20 of which were detected in both growth seasons. Twenty QTLs were directly associated to different conversion efficiency characters. Marker sequences were aligned to the sorghum reference genome to facilitate cross-species comparisons. Analyses revealed that for some traits previously identified QTLs in sorghum occurred in homologous regions on the same chromosome. CONCLUSION In this work we report for the first time the genetic mapping of cell wall composition and bioconversion traits in the bioenergy crop miscanthus. These results are a first step towards the development of marker-assisted selection programs in miscanthus to improve biomass quality and facilitate its use as feedstock for biofuel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim van der Weijde
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences, Wageningen University, 6708 PB, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Present address: Research, Barenbrug Holland B.V, Duitsekampweg 60, 6748 ZB, Wolfheze, Netherlands
| | - Claire L Alvim Kamei
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Present address: Department of Comparative Development and Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Edouard I Severing
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands.,Present address: Department of Plant Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andres F Torres
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Leonardo D Gomez
- Center for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York, YO10 5 DD, York, UK
| | - Oene Dolstra
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Chris A Maliepaard
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | - Richard G F Visser
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Luisa M Trindade
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, Netherlands.
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Nie G, Tang L, Zhang Y, Huang L, Ma X, Cao X, Pan L, Zhang X, Zhang X. Development of SSR Markers Based on Transcriptome Sequencing and Association Analysis with Drought Tolerance in Perennial Grass Miscanthus from China. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:801. [PMID: 28559912 PMCID: PMC5432562 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Drought has become a critical environmental stress affecting on plant in temperate area. As one of the promising bio-energy crops to sustainable biomass production, the genus Miscanthus has been widely studied around the world. However, the most widely used hybrid cultivar among this genus, Miscanthus × giganteus is proved poor drought tolerance compared to some parental species. Here we mainly focused on Miscanthus sinensis, which is one of the progenitors of M. × giganteus providing a comparable yield and well abiotic stress tolerance in some places. The main objectives were to characterize the physiological and photosynthetic respond to drought stress and to develop simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers associated with drought tolerance by transcriptome sequencing within an originally collection of 44 Miscanthus genotypes from southwest China. Significant phenotypic differences were observed among genotypes, and the average of leaf relative water content (RWC) were severely affected by drought stress decreasing from 88.27 to 43.21%, which could well contribute to separating the drought resistant and drought sensitive genotype of Miscanthus. Furthermore, a total of 16,566 gene-associated SSRs markers were identified based on Illumina RNA sequencing under drought conditions, and 93 of them were randomly selected to validate. In total, 70 (75.3%) SSRs were successfully amplified and the generated loci from 30 polymorphic SSRs were used to estimate the genetic differentiation and population structure. Finally, two optimum subgroups of the population were determined by structure analysis and based on association analysis, seven significant associations were identified including two markers with leaf RWC and five markers with photosynthetic traits. With the rich sequencing resources annotation, such associations would serve an efficient tool for Miscanthus drought response mechanism study and facilitate genetic improvement of drought resistant for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xinquan Zhang
- Department of Grassland Science, Animal Science and Technology College, Sichuan Agricultural UniversitySichuan, China
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55
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Dussadee N, Ramaraj R, Cheunbarn T. Biotechnological application of sustainable biogas production through dry anaerobic digestion of Napier grass. 3 Biotech 2017; 7:47. [PMID: 28444591 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-017-0646-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), represents an interesting substrate for biogas production. The research project evaluated biogas potential production from dry anaerobic digestion of Napier grass using batch experiment. To enhance the biogas production from ensiled Napier grass, thermal and alkaline pre-treatments were performed in batch mode. Alkali hydrolysis of Napier grass was performed prior to batch dry anaerobic digestion at three different mild concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The study results confirmed that NaOH pretreated sample produced high yield of biogas than untreated (raw) and hot water pretreated samples. Napier grass was used as the mono-substrate. The biogas composition of carbon dioxide (30.10%), methane (63.50%) and 5 ppm of H2S was estimated from the biogas. Therefore, fast-growing, high-yielding and organic matter-enriched of Napier grass was promising energy crop for biogas production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natthawud Dussadee
- School of Renewable Energy, Maejo University, Sansai, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand.
| | - Rameshprabu Ramaraj
- School of Renewable Energy, Maejo University, Sansai, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand
| | - Tapana Cheunbarn
- Division of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Maejo University, Sansai, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand
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56
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Kiesel A, Nunn C, Iqbal Y, Van der Weijde T, Wagner M, Özgüven M, Tarakanov I, Kalinina O, Trindade LM, Clifton-Brown J, Lewandowski I. Site-Specific Management of Miscanthus Genotypes for Combustion and Anaerobic Digestion: A Comparison of Energy Yields. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:347. [PMID: 28367151 PMCID: PMC5355453 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In Europe, the perennial C4 grass miscanthus is currently mainly cultivated for energy generation via combustion. In recent years, anaerobic digestion has been identified as a promising alternative utilization pathway. Anaerobic digestion produces a higher-value intermediate (biogas), which can be upgraded to biomethane, stored in the existing natural gas infrastructure and further utilized as a transport fuel or in combined heat and power plants. However, the upgrading of the solid biomass into gaseous fuel leads to conversion-related energy losses, the level of which depends on the cultivation parameters genotype, location, and harvest date. Thus, site-specific crop management needs to be adapted to the intended utilization pathway. The objectives of this paper are to quantify (i) the impact of genotype, location and harvest date on energy yields of anaerobic digestion and combustion and (ii) the conversion losses of upgrading solid biomass into biogas. For this purpose, five miscanthus genotypes (OPM 3, 6, 9, 11, 14), three cultivation locations (Adana, Moscow, Stuttgart), and up to six harvest dates (August-March) were assessed. Anaerobic digestion yielded, on average, 35% less energy than combustion. Genotype, location, and harvest date all had significant impacts on the energy yield. For both, this is determined by dry matter yield and ash content and additionally by substrate-specific methane yield for anaerobic digestion and moisture content for combustion. Averaged over all locations and genotypes, an early harvest in August led to 25% and a late harvest to 45% conversion losses. However, each utilization option has its own optimal harvest date, determined by biomass yield, biomass quality, and cutting tolerance. By applying an autumn green harvest for anaerobic digestion and a delayed harvest for combustion, the conversion-related energy loss was reduced to an average of 18%. This clearly shows that the delayed harvest required to maintain biomass quality for combustion is accompanied by high energy losses through yield reduction over winter. The pre-winter harvest applied in the biogas utilization pathway avoids these yield losses and largely compensates for the conversion-related energy losses of anaerobic digestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kiesel
- Department Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Christopher Nunn
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Yasir Iqbal
- Department Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Tim Van der Weijde
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Moritz Wagner
- Department Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Mensure Özgüven
- Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Konya Food and Agriculture UniversityKonya, Turkey
| | - Ivan Tarakanov
- Russian State Agrarian University–Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural AcademyMoscow, Russia
| | - Olena Kalinina
- Department Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Luisa M. Trindade
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - John Clifton-Brown
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Iris Lewandowski
- Department Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
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da Costa RMF, Pattathil S, Avci U, Lee SJ, Hazen SP, Winters A, Hahn MG, Bosch M. A cell wall reference profile for Miscanthus bioenergy crops highlights compositional and structural variations associated with development and organ origin. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 213:1710-1725. [PMID: 27859277 PMCID: PMC5324610 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Miscanthus spp. are promising lignocellulosic energy crops, but cell wall recalcitrance to deconstruction still hinders their widespread use as bioenergy and biomaterial feedstocks. Identification of cell wall characteristics desirable for biorefining applications is crucial for lignocellulosic biomass improvement. However, the task of scoring biomass quality is often complicated by the lack of a reference for a given feedstock. A multidimensional cell wall analysis was performed to generate a reference profile for leaf and stem biomass from several miscanthus genotypes harvested at three developmentally distinct time points. A comprehensive suite of 155 monoclonal antibodies was used to monitor changes in distribution, structure and extractability of noncellulosic cell wall matrix glycans. Glycan microarrays complemented with immunohistochemistry elucidated the nature of compositional variation, and in situ distribution of carbohydrate epitopes. Key observations demonstrated that there are crucial differences in miscanthus cell wall glycomes, which may impact biomass amenability to deconstruction. For the first time, variations in miscanthus cell wall glycan components were comprehensively characterized across different harvests, organs and genotypes, to generate a representative reference profile for miscanthus cell wall biomass. Ultimately, this portrait of the miscanthus cell wall will help to steer breeding and genetic engineering strategies for the development of superior energy crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo M. F. da Costa
- Institute of BiologicalEnvironmental and Rural SciencesAberystwyth UniversityPlas GogerddanAberystwythCeredigionSY23 3EEUK
| | - Sivakumar Pattathil
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterThe University of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- US Department of Energy Bioenergy Science CenterOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Utku Avci
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterThe University of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- US Department of Energy Bioenergy Science CenterOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Scott J. Lee
- Biology DepartmentUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMA01003USA
| | - Samuel P. Hazen
- Biology DepartmentUniversity of MassachusettsAmherstMA01003USA
| | - Ana Winters
- Institute of BiologicalEnvironmental and Rural SciencesAberystwyth UniversityPlas GogerddanAberystwythCeredigionSY23 3EEUK
| | - Michael G. Hahn
- Complex Carbohydrate Research CenterThe University of Georgia315 Riverbend RoadAthensGA30602USA
- US Department of Energy Bioenergy Science CenterOak Ridge National LaboratoryOak RidgeTN37831USA
| | - Maurice Bosch
- Institute of BiologicalEnvironmental and Rural SciencesAberystwyth UniversityPlas GogerddanAberystwythCeredigionSY23 3EEUK
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58
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van der Weijde T, Dolstra O, Visser RGF, Trindade LM. Stability of Cell Wall Composition and Saccharification Efficiency in Miscanthus across Diverse Environments. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 7:2004. [PMID: 28111583 PMCID: PMC5216675 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.02004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the potential effects of differences between growth locations on the cell wall composition and saccharification efficiency of the bioenergy crop miscanthus, a diverse set of 15 accessions were evaluated in six locations across Europe for the first 3 years following establishment. High-throughput quantification of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin contents, as well as cellulose and hemicellulose conversion rates was achieved by combining near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and biochemical analysis. Prediction models were developed and found to predict biomass quality characteristics with high accuracy. Location significantly affected biomass quality characteristics in all three cultivation years, but location-based differences decreased toward the third year as the plants reached maturity and the effect of location-dependent differences in the rate of establishment reduced. In all locations extensive variation in accession performance was observed for quality traits. The performance of the different accessions in the second and third cultivation year was strongly correlated, while accession performance in the first cultivation year did not correlate well with performance in later years. Significant genotype-by-environment (G × E) interactions were observed for most traits, revealing differences between accessions in environmental sensitivity. Stability analysis of accession performance for calculated ethanol yields suggested that selection for good and stable performance is a viable approach. Environmental influence on biomass quality is substantial and should be taken into account in order to match genotype, location and end-use of miscanthus as a lignocellulose feedstock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim van der Weijde
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and ResearchWageningen, Netherlands
- Graduate School Experimental Plant Sciences, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Oene Dolstra
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and ResearchWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Richard G. F. Visser
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and ResearchWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Luisa M. Trindade
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and ResearchWageningen, Netherlands
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59
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Gondo T, Umami N, Muguerza M, Akashi R. Plant regeneration from embryogenic callus derived from shoot apices and production of transgenic plants by particle inflow gun in dwarf napier grass ( Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.). PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2017; 34:143-150. [PMID: 31275020 PMCID: PMC6565997 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.17.0623a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach.) is a highly productive C4 tropical forage grass that has been targeted as a potential bioenergy crop. To further increase the efficiency of bioethanol production by molecular breeding, a reliable protocol for genetically transforming napier grass is essential. In this study, we report the creation of transgenic napier grass plants derived from embryogenic callus cultures of shoot apices. Embryogenic callus was initiated in three accessions of napier grass and a napier grass×pearl millet hybrid using Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L-1 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 0.5 mg L-1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 50 µM copper sulfate (CuSO4). Of the accessions tested, a dwarf type with late-heading (DL line) had the best response for embryogenic callus formation. Highly regenerative calli that formed dense polyembryogenic clusters were selected as target tissues for transformation. A plasmid vector, pAHC25, containing an herbicide-resistance gene (bar) and the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was used in particle bombardment experiments. Target tissues treated with 0.6 M osmoticum were bombarded, and transgenic plants were selected under 5.0 mg L-1 bialaphos selection. Although a total of 1400 target tissues yielded nine GUS-positive bialaphos-resistant calli, only one transgenic line that was derived from target tissue with the shortest culture term produced four transgenic plants. Thus, the length of time that the target tissue is in callus culture was one of the most important factors for acquiring transgenic plants in napier grass. This is the first report of successfully producing transgenic napier grass plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Gondo
- Frontier Science Research Center, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Nafiatul Umami
- Faculty of Animal Science, Gadjah Mada University, Jl. Fauna 01 Sleman Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
| | - Melody Muguerza
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Ryo Akashi
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1 Gakuenkibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
- E-mail: Tel: +81-985-58-7257 Fax: +81-985-58-7761
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60
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Lal R. Feeding 11 billion on 0.5 billion hectare of area under cereal crops. Food Energy Secur 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/fes3.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rattan Lal
- Carbon Management and Sequestration Center; The Ohio State University; Columbus Ohio 43210
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Sharma R, Wungrampha S, Singh V, Pareek A, Sharma MK. Halophytes As Bioenergy Crops. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1372. [PMID: 27679645 PMCID: PMC5020079 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Shrinking arable land due to soil salinization and, depleting fresh water resources pose serious worldwide constraints to crop productivity. A vision of using plant feedstock for biofuel production can only be realized if we can identify alternate species that can be grown on saline soils and therefore, would not compete for the resources required for conventional agriculture. Halophytes have remarkable ability to grow under high salinity conditions. They can be irrigated with seawater without compromising their biomass and seed yields making them good alternate candidates as bioenergy crops. Both oil produced from the seeds and the lignocellulosic biomass of halophytes can be utilized for biofuel production. Several researchers across the globe have recognized this potential and assessed several halophytes for their tolerance to salt, seed oil contents and composition of their lignocellulosic biomass. Here, we review current advances and highlight the key species of halophytes analyzed for this purpose. We have critically assessed the challenges and opportunities associated with using halophytes as bioenergy crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Sharma
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Silas Wungrampha
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Vinay Singh
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Ashwani Pareek
- Stress Physiology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, India
| | - Manoj K. Sharma
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, India
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Tubeileh A, Rennie TJ, Goss MJ. A review on biomass production from C4 grasses: yield and quality for end-use. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 31:172-80. [PMID: 27258573 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 04/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
With a dry biomass production exceeding 40Mgha(-1) in many environments, Miscanthus spp. is the most productive perennial C4 grass species thanks to five advantages over North American prairie tallgrasses. However, miscanthus has a slower nutrient remobilization system, resulting in higher nutrient concentrations at harvest. Perennial C4 grasses benefit from soil microbial associations, reducing their nutrient needs. For combustion purposes, grasses with low moisture content, high lignin and low nutrients are desired. For ethanol, preferred feedstock will have lower lignin, higher sugars, starch, or cellulose/hemicellulose depending on the conversion method. Species with high stem-to-leaf ratio provide better biofuel conversion efficiency and quality. Recently-developed transgenic switchgrass lines have much higher ethanol yields and lower transformation costs. Further selection and breeding are needed to optimize biomass quality and nutrient cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashraf Tubeileh
- Horticulture and Crop Science Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, USA.
| | - Timothy J Rennie
- Independent Research Consultant, 120 Walnut Court, #29, Ottawa, ON K1R 7W2, Canada
| | - Michael J Goss
- School of Environmental Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
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Decline in Performance of Biochemical Reactors for Sulphate Removal from Mine-Influenced Water is Accompanied by Changes in Organic Matter Characteristics and Microbial Population Composition. WATER 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/w8040124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Torres AF, Slegers PM, Noordam-Boot CMM, Dolstra O, Vlaswinkel L, van Boxtel AJB, Visser RGF, Trindade LM. Maize feedstocks with improved digestibility reduce the costs and environmental impacts of biomass pretreatment and saccharification. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2016; 9:63. [PMID: 26981155 PMCID: PMC4791978 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-016-0479-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the recognition that feedstock composition influences biomass conversion efficiency, limited information exists as to how bioenergy crops with reduced recalcitrance can improve the economics and sustainability of cellulosic fuel conversion platforms. We have compared the bioenergy potential-estimated as total glucose productivity per hectare (TGP)-of maize cultivars contrasting for cell wall digestibility across processing conditions of increasing thermochemical severity. In addition, exploratory environmental impact and economic modeling were used to assess whether the development of bioenergy feedstocks with improved cell wall digestibility can enhance the environmental performance and reduce the costs of biomass pretreatment and enzymatic conversion. RESULTS Systematic genetic gains in cell wall degradability can lead to significant advances in the productivity (TGP) of cellulosic fuel biorefineries under low severity processing; only if gains in digestibility are not accompanied by substantial yield penalties. For a hypothetical maize genotype combining the best characteristics available in the evaluated cultivar panel, TGP under mild processing conditions (~3.7 t ha(-1)) matched the highest realizable yields possible at the highest processing severity. Under this scenario, both, the environmental impacts and processing costs for the pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of maize stover were reduced by 15 %, given lower chemical and heat consumption. CONCLUSIONS Genetic improvements in cell wall composition leading to superior cell wall digestibility can be advantageous for cellulosic fuel production, especially if "less severe" processing regimes are favored for further development. Exploratory results indicate potential cost and environmental impact reductions for the pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification of maize feedstocks exhibiting higher cell wall degradability. Conceptually, these results demonstrate that the advance of bioenergy cultivars with improved biomass degradability can enhance the performance of currently available biomass-to-ethanol conversion systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres F. Torres
- />Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands
- />Plant Biotechnology Laboratory (COCIBA), Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Diego de Robles y Vía Interoceánica, Cumbayá, Ecuador
| | - Petronella M. Slegers
- />Biobased Chemistry and Technology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Oene Dolstra
- />Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Anton J. B. van Boxtel
- />Biobased Chemistry and Technology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard G. F. Visser
- />Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Luisa M. Trindade
- />Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 386, 6700 AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Voorend W, Nelissen H, Vanholme R, De Vliegher A, Van Breusegem F, Boerjan W, Roldán-Ruiz I, Muylle H, Inzé D. Overexpression of GA20-OXIDASE1 impacts plant height, biomass allocation and saccharification efficiency in maize. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2016; 14:997-1007. [PMID: 26903034 PMCID: PMC5019232 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Increased biomass yield and quality are of great importance for the improvement of feedstock for the biorefinery. For the production of bioethanol, both stem biomass yield and the conversion efficiency of the polysaccharides in the cell wall to fermentable sugars are of relevance. Increasing the endogenous levels of gibberellic acid (GA) by ectopic expression of GA20-OXIDASE1 (GA20-OX1), the rate-limiting step in GA biosynthesis, is known to affect cell division and cell expansion, resulting in larger plants and organs in several plant species. In this study, we examined biomass yield and quality traits of maize plants overexpressing GA20-OX1 (GA20-OX1). GA20-OX1 plants accumulated more vegetative biomass than control plants in greenhouse experiments, but not consistently over two years of field trials. The stems of these plants were longer but also more slender. Investigation of GA20-OX1 biomass quality using biochemical analyses showed the presence of more cellulose, lignin and cell wall residue. Cell wall analysis as well as expression analysis of lignin biosynthetic genes in developing stems revealed that cellulose and lignin were deposited earlier in development. Pretreatment of GA20-OX1 biomass with NaOH resulted in a higher saccharification efficiency per unit of dry weight, in agreement with the higher cellulose content. On the other hand, the cellulose-to-glucose conversion was slower upon HCl or hot-water pretreatment, presumably due to the higher lignin content. This study showed that biomass yield and quality traits can be interconnected, which is important for the development of future breeding strategies to improve lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wannes Voorend
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Plant Sciences Unit - Growth and Development, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Melle, Belgium
| | - Hilde Nelissen
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Ruben Vanholme
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Alex De Vliegher
- Plant Sciences Unit - Crop Husbandry and Environment, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Breusegem
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Wout Boerjan
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
- Plant Sciences Unit - Growth and Development, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Melle, Belgium
| | - Hilde Muylle
- Plant Sciences Unit - Growth and Development, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Melle, Belgium
| | - Dirk Inzé
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Gent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
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Lewandowski I, Clifton-Brown J, Trindade LM, van der Linden GC, Schwarz KU, Müller-Sämann K, Anisimov A, Chen CL, Dolstra O, Donnison IS, Farrar K, Fonteyne S, Harding G, Hastings A, Huxley LM, Iqbal Y, Khokhlov N, Kiesel A, Lootens P, Meyer H, Mos M, Muylle H, Nunn C, Özgüven M, Roldán-Ruiz I, Schüle H, Tarakanov I, van der Weijde T, Wagner M, Xi Q, Kalinina O. Progress on Optimizing Miscanthus Biomass Production for the European Bioeconomy: Results of the EU FP7 Project OPTIMISC. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1620. [PMID: 27917177 PMCID: PMC5114296 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes the complete findings of the EU-funded research project OPTIMISC, which investigated methods to optimize the production and use of miscanthus biomass. Miscanthus bioenergy and bioproduct chains were investigated by trialing 15 diverse germplasm types in a range of climatic and soil environments across central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, and China. The abiotic stress tolerances of a wider panel of 100 germplasm types to drought, salinity, and low temperatures were measured in the laboratory and a field trial in Belgium. A small selection of germplasm types was evaluated for performance in grasslands on marginal sites in Germany and the UK. The growth traits underlying biomass yield and quality were measured to improve regional estimates of feedstock availability. Several potential high-value bioproducts were identified. The combined results provide recommendations to policymakers, growers and industry. The major technical advances in miscanthus production achieved by OPTIMISC include: (1) demonstration that novel hybrids can out-yield the standard commercially grown genotype Miscanthus x giganteus; (2) characterization of the interactions of physiological growth responses with environmental variation within and between sites; (3) quantification of biomass-quality-relevant traits; (4) abiotic stress tolerances of miscanthus genotypes; (5) selections suitable for production on marginal land; (6) field establishment methods for seeds using plugs; (7) evaluation of harvesting methods; and (8) quantification of energy used in densification (pellet) technologies with a range of hybrids with differences in stem wall properties. End-user needs were addressed by demonstrating the potential of optimizing miscanthus biomass composition for the production of ethanol and biogas as well as for combustion. The costs and life-cycle assessment of seven miscanthus-based value chains, including small- and large-scale heat and power, ethanol, biogas, and insulation material production, revealed GHG-emission- and fossil-energy-saving potentials of up to 30.6 t CO2eq C ha-1y-1 and 429 GJ ha-1y-1, respectively. Transport distance was identified as an important cost factor. Negative carbon mitigation costs of -78€ t-1 CO2eq C were recorded for local biomass use. The OPTIMISC results demonstrate the potential of miscanthus as a crop for marginal sites and provide information and technologies for the commercial implementation of miscanthus-based value chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Lewandowski
- Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - John Clifton-Brown
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Luisa M. Trindade
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Karl Müller-Sämann
- ANNA - The Agency for Sustainable Management of Agricultural LandscapeFreiburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Anisimov
- Department of Plant Physiology, Russian State Agrarian University–Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural AcademyMoscow, Russia
| | - C.-L. Chen
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Oene Dolstra
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Iain S. Donnison
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Kerrie Farrar
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Simon Fonteyne
- Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries ResearchMelle, Belgium
| | | | - Astley Hastings
- The Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of AberdeenAberdeen, UK
| | - Laurie M. Huxley
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Yasir Iqbal
- Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Nikolay Khokhlov
- Department of Plant Physiology, Russian State Agrarian University–Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural AcademyMoscow, Russia
| | - Andreas Kiesel
- Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Lootens
- Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries ResearchMelle, Belgium
| | | | | | - Hilde Muylle
- Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries ResearchMelle, Belgium
| | - Chris Nunn
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Mensure Özgüven
- Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Konya Food and Agriculture UniversityKonya, Turkey
| | - Isabel Roldán-Ruiz
- Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries ResearchMelle, Belgium
| | | | - Ivan Tarakanov
- Department of Plant Physiology, Russian State Agrarian University–Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural AcademyMoscow, Russia
| | - Tim van der Weijde
- Department of Plant Breeding, Wageningen UniversityWageningen, Netherlands
| | - Moritz Wagner
- Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
| | - Qingguo Xi
- Dongying Agricultural InstituteDongying, China
| | - Olena Kalinina
- Department of Biobased Products and Energy Crops, Institute of Crop Science, University of HohenheimStuttgart, Germany
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Combinatorial application of two aldehyde oxidoreductases on isobutanol production in the presence of furfural. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 43:37-44. [DOI: 10.1007/s10295-015-1718-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Furfural is a toxic by-product formulated from pretreatment processes of lignocellulosic biomass. In order to utilize the lignocellulosic biomass on isobutanol production, inhibitory effect of the furfural on isobutanol production was investigated and combinatorial application of two oxidoreductases, FucO and YqhD, was suggested as an alternative strategy. Furfural decreased cell growth and isobutanol production when only YqhD or FucO was employed as an isobutyraldehyde oxidoreductase. However, combinatorial overexpression of FucO and YqhD could overcome the inhibitory effect of furfural giving higher isobutanol production by 110 % compared with overexpression of YqhD. The combinatorial oxidoreductases increased furfural detoxification rate 2.1-fold and also accelerated glucose consumption 1.4-fold. When it compares to another known system increasing furfural tolerance, membrane-bound transhydrogenase (pntAB), the combinatorial aldehyde oxidoreductases were better on cell growth and production. Thus, to control oxidoreductases is important to produce isobutanol using furfural-containing biomass and the combinatorial overexpression of FucO and YqhD can be an alternative strategy.
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Hoang NV, Furtado A, Botha FC, Simmons BA, Henry RJ. Potential for Genetic Improvement of Sugarcane as a Source of Biomass for Biofuels. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2015; 3:182. [PMID: 26636072 PMCID: PMC4646955 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2015.00182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) has great potential as a major feedstock for biofuel production worldwide. It is considered among the best options for producing biofuels today due to an exceptional biomass production capacity, high carbohydrate (sugar + fiber) content, and a favorable energy input/output ratio. To maximize the conversion of sugarcane biomass into biofuels, it is imperative to generate improved sugarcane varieties with better biomass degradability. However, unlike many diploid plants, where genetic tools are well developed, biotechnological improvement is hindered in sugarcane by our current limited understanding of the large and complex genome. Therefore, understanding the genetics of the key biofuel traits in sugarcane and optimization of sugarcane biomass composition will advance efficient conversion of sugarcane biomass into fermentable sugars for biofuel production. The large existing phenotypic variation in Saccharum germplasm and the availability of the current genomics technologies will allow biofuel traits to be characterized, the genetic basis of critical differences in biomass composition to be determined, and targets for improvement of sugarcane for biofuels to be established. Emerging options for genetic improvement of sugarcane for the use as a bioenergy crop are reviewed. This will better define the targets for potential genetic manipulation of sugarcane biomass composition for biofuels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam V. Hoang
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- College of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Hue, Vietnam
| | - Agnelo Furtado
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Frederik C. Botha
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Sugar Research Australia, Indooroopilly, QLD, Australia
| | - Blake A. Simmons
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | - Robert J. Henry
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Muthamilarasan M, Khan Y, Jaishankar J, Shweta S, Lata C, Prasad M. Integrative analysis and expression profiling of secondary cell wall genes in C4 biofuel model Setaria italica reveals targets for lignocellulose bioengineering. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:965. [PMID: 26583030 PMCID: PMC4631826 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Several underutilized grasses have excellent potential for use as bioenergy feedstock due to their lignocellulosic biomass. Genomic tools have enabled identification of lignocellulose biosynthesis genes in several sequenced plants. However, the non-availability of whole genome sequence of bioenergy grasses hinders the study on bioenergy genomics and their genomics-assisted crop improvement. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.; Si) is a model crop for studying systems biology of bioenergy grasses. In the present study, a systematic approach has been used for identification of gene families involved in cellulose (CesA/Csl), callose (Gsl) and monolignol biosynthesis (PAL, C4H, 4CL, HCT, C3H, CCoAOMT, F5H, COMT, CCR, CAD) and construction of physical map of foxtail millet. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of identified proteins showed that monolignol biosynthesis proteins were highly diverse, whereas CesA/Csl and Gsl proteins were homologous to rice and Arabidopsis. Comparative mapping of foxtail millet lignocellulose biosynthesis genes with other C4 panicoid genomes revealed maximum homology with switchgrass, followed by sorghum and maize. Expression profiling of candidate lignocellulose genes in response to different abiotic stresses and hormone treatments showed their differential expression pattern, with significant higher expression of SiGsl12, SiPAL2, SiHCT1, SiF5H2, and SiCAD6 genes. Further, due to the evolutionary conservation of grass genomes, the insights gained from the present study could be extrapolated for identifying genes involved in lignocellulose biosynthesis in other biofuel species for further characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yusuf Khan
- National Institute of Plant Genome ResearchNew Delhi, India
| | | | - Shweta Shweta
- National Institute of Plant Genome ResearchNew Delhi, India
| | - Charu Lata
- Division of Plant-Microbe Interactions, CSIR-National Botanical Research InstituteLucknow, India
| | - Manoj Prasad
- National Institute of Plant Genome ResearchNew Delhi, India
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Bihmidine S, Baker RF, Hoffner C, Braun DM. Sucrose accumulation in sweet sorghum stems occurs by apoplasmic phloem unloading and does not involve differential Sucrose transporter expression. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 15:186. [PMID: 26223524 PMCID: PMC4518677 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-015-0572-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) cultivars store non-structural carbohydrates predominantly as either starch in seeds (grain sorghums) or sugars in stems (sweet sorghums). Previous research determined that sucrose accumulation in sweet sorghum stems was not correlated with the activities of enzymes functioning in sucrose metabolism, and that an apoplasmic transport step may be involved in stem sucrose accumulation. However, the sucrose unloading pathway from stem phloem to storage parenchyma cells remains unelucidated. Sucrose transporters (SUTs) transport sucrose across membranes, and have been proposed to function in sucrose partitioning differences between sweet and grain sorghums. The purpose of this study was to characterize the key differences in carbohydrate accumulation between a sweet and a grain sorghum, to define the path sucrose may follow for accumulation in sorghum stems, and to determine the roles played by sorghum SUTs in stem sucrose accumulation. RESULTS Dye tracer studies to determine the sucrose transport route revealed that, for both the sweet sorghum cultivar Wray and grain sorghum cultivar Macia, the phloem in the stem veins was symplasmically isolated from surrounding cells, suggesting sucrose was apoplasmically unloaded. Once in the phloem apoplasm, a soluble tracer diffused from the vein to stem parenchyma cell walls, indicating the lignified mestome sheath encompassing the vein did not prevent apoplasmic flux outside of the vein. To characterize carbohydrate partitioning differences between Wray and Macia, we compared the growth, stem juice volume, solute contents, SbSUTs gene expression, and additional traits. Contrary to previous findings, we detected no significant differences in SbSUTs gene expression within stem tissues. CONCLUSIONS Phloem sieve tubes within sweet and grain sorghum stems are symplasmically isolated from surrounding cells; hence, unloading from the phloem likely occurs apoplasmically, thereby defining the location of the previously postulated step for sucrose transport. Additionally, no changes in SbSUTs gene expression were detected in sweet vs. grain sorghum stems, suggesting alterations in SbSUT transcript levels do not account for the carbohydrate partitioning differences between cultivars. A model illustrating sucrose phloem unloading and movement to stem storage parenchyma, and highlighting roles for sucrose transport proteins in sorghum stems is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saadia Bihmidine
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, 110 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
| | - R Frank Baker
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, 110 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
- University of Missouri Molecular Cytology Core, 120 Bond Life Sciences Center, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO, 65211-7310, USA.
| | - Cassandra Hoffner
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, 110 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
- Sigma-Aldrich Biotech, 545 S. Ewing, Saint Louis, MO, 63103, USA.
| | - David M Braun
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, 110 Tucker Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
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De Souza AP, Alvim Kamei CL, Torres AF, Pattathil S, Hahn MG, Trindade LM, Buckeridge MS. How cell wall complexity influences saccharification efficiency in Miscanthus sinensis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2015; 66:4351-65. [PMID: 25908240 PMCID: PMC4493786 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erv183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The production of bioenergy from grasses has been developing quickly during the last decade, with Miscanthus being among the most important choices for production of bioethanol. However, one of the key barriers to producing bioethanol is the lack of information about cell wall structure. Cell walls are thought to display compositional differences that lead to emergence of a very high level of complexity, resulting in great diversity in cell wall architectures. In this work, a set of different techniques was used to access the complexity of cell walls of different genotypes of Miscanthus sinensis in order to understand how they interfere with saccharification efficiency. Three genotypes of M. sinensis displaying different patterns of correlation between lignin content and saccharification efficiency were subjected to cell wall analysis by quantitative/qualitative analytical techniques such as monosaccharide composition, oligosaccharide profiling, and glycome profiling. When saccharification efficiency was correlated negatively with lignin, the structural features of arabinoxylan and xyloglucan were found to contribute positively to hydrolysis. In the absence of such correlation, different types of pectins, and some mannans contributed to saccharification efficiency. Different genotypes of M. sinensis were shown to display distinct interactions among their cell wall components, which seem to influence cell wall hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P De Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology (LAFIECO), Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Claire L Alvim Kamei
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andres F Torres
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sivakumar Pattathil
- BioEnergy Science Center, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, 315 Riverbend Rd, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael G Hahn
- BioEnergy Science Center, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, 315 Riverbend Rd, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Luisa M Trindade
- Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Wageningen University and Research Centre, PO Box 386, 6700 AJ, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcos S Buckeridge
- Laboratory of Plant Physiological Ecology (LAFIECO), Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Metcalfe CJ, Oliveira SG, Gaiarsa JW, Aitken KS, Carneiro MS, Zatti F, Van Sluys MA. Using quantitative PCR with retrotransposon-based insertion polymorphisms as markers in sugarcane. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2015; 66:4239-50. [PMID: 26093024 PMCID: PMC4493790 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erv283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Sugarcane is the main source of the world's sugar and is becoming increasingly important as a source of biofuel. The highly polyploid and heterozygous nature of the sugarcane genome has meant that characterization of the genome has lagged behind that of other important crops. Here we developed a method using a combination of quantitative PCR with a transposable marker system to score the relative number of alleles with a transposable element (TE) present at a particular locus. We screened two genera closely related to Saccharum (Miscanthus and Erianthus), wild Saccharum, traditional cultivars, and 127 modern cultivars from Brazilian and Australian breeding programmes. We showed how this method could be used in various ways. First, we showed that the method could be extended to be used as part of a genotyping system. Secondly, the history of insertion and timing of the three TEs examined supports our current understanding of the evolution of the Saccharum complex. Thirdly, all three TEs were found in only one of the two main lineages leading to the modern sugarcane cultivars and are therefore the first TEs identified that could potentially be used as markers for Saccharum spontaneum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cushla J Metcalfe
- GaTE-Lab, Departamento de Botânica, IBUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, rua do Matao 277, 05508-090, SP, Brazil
| | - Sarah G Oliveira
- GaTE-Lab, Departamento de Botânica, IBUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, rua do Matao 277, 05508-090, SP, Brazil
| | - Jonas W Gaiarsa
- GaTE-Lab, Departamento de Botânica, IBUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, rua do Matao 277, 05508-090, SP, Brazil
| | - Karen S Aitken
- CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, 306 Carmody Road, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Monalisa S Carneiro
- Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Araras, 13600-970, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Zatti
- Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Araras, 13600-970, SP, Brazil
| | - Marie-Anne Van Sluys
- GaTE-Lab, Departamento de Botânica, IBUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, rua do Matao 277, 05508-090, SP, Brazil
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74
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da Costa RMF, Lee SJ, Allison GG, Hazen SP, Winters A, Bosch M. Genotype, development and tissue-derived variation of cell-wall properties in the lignocellulosic energy crop Miscanthus. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2014; 114:1265-77. [PMID: 24737720 PMCID: PMC4195551 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 02/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Species and hybrids of the genus Miscanthus contain attributes that make them front-runners among current selections of dedicated bioenergy crops. A key trait for plant biomass conversion to biofuels and biomaterials is cell-wall quality; however, knowledge of cell-wall composition and biology in Miscanthus species is limited. This study presents data on cell-wall compositional changes as a function of development and tissue type across selected genotypes, and considers implications for the development of miscanthus as a sustainable and renewable bioenergy feedstock. METHODS Cell-wall biomass was analysed for 25 genotypes, considering different developmental stages and stem vs. leaf compositional variability, by Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy and lignin determination. In addition, a Clostridium phytofermentans bioassay was used to assess cell-wall digestibility and conversion to ethanol. KEY RESULTS Important cell-wall compositional differences between miscanthus stem and leaf samples were found to be predominantly associated with structural carbohydrates. Lignin content increased as plants matured and was higher in stem tissues. Although stem lignin concentration correlated inversely with ethanol production, no such correlation was observed for leaves. Leaf tissue contributed significantly to total above-ground biomass at all stages, although the extent of this contribution was genotype-dependent. CONCLUSIONS It is hypothesized that divergent carbohydrate compositions and modifications in stem and leaf tissues are major determinants for observed differences in cell-wall quality. The findings indicate that improvement of lignocellulosic feedstocks should encompass tissue-dependent variation as it affects amenability to biological conversion. For gene-trait associations relating to cell-wall quality, the data support the separate examination of leaf and stem composition, as tissue-specific traits may be masked by considering only total above-ground biomass samples, and sample variability could be mostly due to varying tissue contributions to total biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo M F da Costa
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB, UK
| | - Scott J Lee
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA Plant Biology Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Gordon G Allison
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB, UK
| | - Samuel P Hazen
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Ana Winters
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB, UK
| | - Maurice Bosch
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB, UK
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75
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Meineke T, Manisseri C, Voigt CA. Phylogeny in defining model plants for lignocellulosic ethanol production: a comparative study of Brachypodium distachyon, wheat, maize, and Miscanthus x giganteus leaf and stem biomass. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103580. [PMID: 25133818 PMCID: PMC4136770 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of ethanol from pretreated plant biomass during fermentation is a strategy to mitigate climate change by substituting fossil fuels. However, biomass conversion is mainly limited by the recalcitrant nature of the plant cell wall. To overcome recalcitrance, the optimization of the plant cell wall for subsequent processing is a promising approach. Based on their phylogenetic proximity to existing and emerging energy crops, model plants have been proposed to study bioenergy-related cell wall biochemistry. One example is Brachypodium distachyon, which has been considered as a general model plant for cell wall analysis in grasses. To test whether relative phylogenetic proximity would be sufficient to qualify as a model plant not only for cell wall composition but also for the complete process leading to bioethanol production, we compared the processing of leaf and stem biomass from the C3 grasses B. distachyon and Triticum aestivum (wheat) with the C4 grasses Zea mays (maize) and Miscanthus x giganteus, a perennial energy crop. Lambda scanning with a confocal laser-scanning microscope allowed a rapid qualitative analysis of biomass saccharification. A maximum of 108-117 mg ethanol·g(-1) dry biomass was yielded from thermo-chemically and enzymatically pretreated stem biomass of the tested plant species. Principal component analysis revealed that a relatively strong correlation between similarities in lignocellulosic ethanol production and phylogenetic relation was only given for stem and leaf biomass of the two tested C4 grasses. Our results suggest that suitability of B. distachyon as a model plant for biomass conversion of energy crops has to be specifically tested based on applied processing parameters and biomass tissue type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Meineke
- Phytopathology & Biochemistry, Biocenter Klein Flottbek, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Chithra Manisseri
- Phytopathology & Biochemistry, Biocenter Klein Flottbek, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian A. Voigt
- Phytopathology & Biochemistry, Biocenter Klein Flottbek, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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76
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Covshoff S, Burgess SJ, Kneřová J, Kümpers BMC. Getting the most out of natural variation in C4 photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2014; 119:157-167. [PMID: 23794170 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-013-9872-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
C4 photosynthesis is a complex trait that has a high degree of natural variation, involving anatomical and biochemical changes relative to the ancestral C3 state. It has evolved at least 66 times across a variety of lineages and the evolutionary route from C3 to C4 is likely conserved but not necessarily genetically identical. As such, a variety of C4 species are needed to identify what is fundamental to the C4 evolutionary process in a global context. In order to identify the genetic components of C4 form and function, a number of species are used as genetic models. These include Zea mays (maize), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum), Setaria viridis (Setaria), Flaveria bidentis, and Cleome gynandra. Each of these species has different benefits and challenges associated with its use as a model organism. Here, we propose that RNA profiling of a large sampling of C4, C3-C4, and C3 species, from as many lineages as possible, will allow identification of candidate genes necessary and sufficient to confer C4 anatomy and/or biochemistry. Furthermore, C4 model species will play a critical role in the functional characterization of these candidate genes and identification of their regulatory elements, by providing a platform for transformation and through the use of gene expression profiles in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells and along the leaf developmental gradient. Efforts should be made to sequence the genomes of F. bidentis and C. gynandra and to develop congeneric C3 species as genetic models for comparative studies. In combination, such resources would facilitate discovery of common and unique C4 regulatory mechanisms across genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Covshoff
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK,
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77
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Xue J, Bosch M, Knox JP. Heterogeneity and glycan masking of cell wall microstructures in the stems of Miscanthus x giganteus, and its parents M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82114. [PMID: 24312403 PMCID: PMC3843723 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2013] [Accepted: 10/16/2013] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant cell walls, being repositories of fixed carbon, are important sources of biomass and renewable energy. Miscanthus species are fast growing grasses with a high biomass yield and they have been identified as potential bioenergy crops. Miscanthus x giganteus is the sterile hybrid between M. sinensis and M. sacchariflorus, with a faster and taller growth than its parents. In this study, the occurrence of cell wall polysaccharides in stems of Miscanthus species has been determined using fluorescence imaging with sets of cell wall directed monoclonal antibodies. Heteroxylan and mixed linkage-glucan (MLG) epitopes are abundant in stem cell walls of Miscanthus species, but their distributions are different in relation to the interfascicular parenchyma and these epitopes also display different developmental dynamics. Detection of pectic homogalacturonan (HG) epitopes was often restricted to intercellular spaces of parenchyma regions and, notably, the high methyl ester LM20 HG epitope was specifically abundant in the pith parenchyma cell walls of M. x giganteus. Some cell wall probes cannot access their target glycan epitopes because of masking by other polysaccharides. In the case of Miscanthus stems, masking of xyloglucan by heteroxylan and masking of pectic galactan by heteroxylan and MLG was detected in certain cell wall regions. Knowledge of tissue level heterogeneity of polysaccharide distributions and molecular architectures in Miscanthus cell wall structures will be important for both understanding growth mechanisms and also for the development of potential strategies for the efficient deconstruction of Miscanthus biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xue
- Centre for Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Maurice Bosch
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom
| | - J. Paul Knox
- Centre for Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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78
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Bosch M, Hazen SP. Lignocellulosic feedstocks: research progress and challenges in optimizing biomass quality and yield. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2013; 4:474. [PMID: 24312113 PMCID: PMC3836025 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/03/2013] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Bosch
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, UK
| | - Samuel P. Hazen
- Biology Department, University of MassachusettsAmherst, MA, USA
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Robson P, Jensen E, Hawkins S, White SR, Kenobi K, Clifton-Brown J, Donnison I, Farrar K. Accelerating the domestication of a bioenergy crop: identifying and modelling morphological targets for sustainable yield increase in Miscanthus. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2013; 64:4143-55. [PMID: 24064927 PMCID: PMC3808307 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
To accelerate domestication of Miscanthus, an important energy crop, 244 replicated genotypes, including two different species and their hybrids, were analysed for morphological traits and biomass yield over three growing seasons following an establishment phase of 2 years in the largest Miscanthus diversity trial described to date. Stem and leaf traits were selected that contributed both directly and indirectly to total harvested biomass yield, and there was variation in all traits measured. Morphological diversity within the population was correlated with dry matter yield (DMY) both as individual traits and in combination, in order to determine the respective contributions of the traits to biomass accumulation and to identify breeding targets for yield improvement. Predictive morphometric analysis was possible at year 3 within Miscanthus sinensis genotypes but not between M. sinensis, Miscanthus sacchariflorus, and interspecific hybrids. Yield is a complex trait, and no single simple trait explained more than 33% of DMY, which varied from 1 to 5297 g among genotypes within this trial. Associating simple traits increased the power of the morphological data to predict yield to 60%. Trait variety, in combination, enabled multiple ideotypes, thereby increasing the potential diversity of the crop for multiple growth locations and end uses. Both triploids and interspecific hybrids produced the highest mature yields, indicating that there is significant heterosis to be exploited within Miscanthus that might be overlooked in early selection screens within years 1-3. The potential for optimizing biomass yield by selecting on the basis of morphology is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Robson
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
| | - Elaine Jensen
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
| | - Sarah Hawkins
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
| | - Simon R. White
- MRC Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0SR, UK
| | - Kim Kenobi
- Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, Nottingham University, Nottingham LE12 5RD, UK
| | - John Clifton-Brown
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
| | - Iain Donnison
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
| | - Kerrie Farrar
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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