Pingping Ji

Ultrastructural analysis of engineered rice lines reveals ferulate cross-linking as a key factor mediating lignocellulose supramolecular assembly in grass cell walls

The paper analyzes engineered rice lines to show that ferulate cross-linking significantly affects lignocellulose structure and biomass properties more than lignin composition changes.

Essential Yet Dispensable: The Role of CINNAMATE 4-HYDROXYLASE in Rice Cell Wall Lignification

This study investigates the role of C4H in rice lignin biosynthesis, showing it is essential but dispensable due to the compensatory PTAL pathway.

Stacked mutations disrupting syringyl and p-coumaroylated lignin biosynthesis in rice result in lignin dominated by guaiacyl units: insights into grass-specific lignin monomer biosynthesis and polymerization mechanisms

The paper shows that disrupting CAld5H and PMT genes in rice eliminates syringyl lignin, revealing a grass-specific pathway for p-coumarate conjugates and lineage-dependent lignin polymerization.