Max Bentelspacher

Precursor-Dependent Routing of Aromatic Amino Acids Determines Lignin Structure in Grasses by Sensitivity-Enhanced Solid-State NMR

This paper uses isotope labeling and solid-state NMR to show how phenylalanine and tyrosine contribute differently to lignin structure in grasses, revealing tyrosine as a compensatory pathway.

Metabolic engineering of a tyrosine-specific phenylpropanoid pathway in plants

The paper engineers a tyrosine-specific phenylpropanoid pathway in plants and finds that it can overcome a seedling-lethal phenotype but causes developmental defects due to auxin transport inhibitor accumulation.