Bioactive phenylpropanoids
A second plausible cause of the observed phenotypic consequences of lignin-modified plants is the differential accumulation of soluble bioactive phenolics in the lignin-modified plants compared to the wild type.
Altering the structure of lignin by engineering monolignol substitutes
In addition to engineering lignin structure by using genes of the host plant itself (modification of H/G/S/benzodioxanes/aldehydes/ferulates levels; Chanoca et al., 2019), it is also possible to engineer easily degradable lignin polymers by using genes from other taxa in a synthetic biology approach, as discussed in Vanholme et al. (2012).
Overcoming the yield penalty of lignin-modified plants
Engineering plants for reduced lignin amount or altered structure is often associated with a yield penalty. Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the molecular basis of the yield penalty. It has been shown that lignin modification often results in a collapse of vessels, which negatively affects water and nutrient transport in the plant.
Applications submitted for new field trials with genome-edited maize
In early January, VIB submitted applications to conduct 3 field trials with genome-edited maize. Observations in the greenhouse showed that the modified plants are more resistant to climate stress or easier to digest. In collaboration with the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), VIB would like to confirm their findings in real cultivation conditions.
Identifying new genes in aromatic metabolism
When improving plant cell walls, it all comes down to identifying the genes that are involved in the biosynthesis of the major cell wall polymers, and altering their expression levels in target crops such as poplar and maize. Through co-expression analyses in Arabidopsis and maize, we have identified a set of candidate genes that likely play an important role in phenolic biosynthesis.