Lignin and Wood Chemistry

Engineering a cytochrome P450 O-demethylase for the bioconversion of hardwood lignin

This study characterizes a cytochrome P450 enzyme involved in lignin degradation and engineers it to catalyze both 4-alkylguaiacol and 4-alkylsyringol O-demethylation, enhancing its utility in biocatalytic lignin valorization.

LignAmb25: A Comprehensive AMBER Force Field Addressing Lignin's Structural and Chemical Diversity

LignAmb25 is a new AMBER force field for lignin simulations that improves upon existing models by including diverse monolignol units and linkages, enabling accurate modeling of lignin structures and properties.

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.

Emergence of Lignin-Carbohydrate Interactions During Plant Stem Maturation Visualized by Solid-State NMR

The paper uses solid-state NMR to study lignin-carbohydrate interactions in Arabidopsis stems during maturation, revealing the role of specific lignin units and carbohydrates in wall structure.

High Enzyme Promiscuity in Lignin Degradation Mechanisms in Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009

This study investigates lignin degradation mechanisms in Rhodopseudomonas palustris using multi-omics and CRISPRi to identify essential pathways and improve sustainable valorization of lignin.

The S-lignin O-demethylase SyoA: Structural insights into a new class of heme peroxygenase enzymes

This paper characterizes the structure and function of SyoA, a heme peroxygenase enzyme that demethylates S-lignin aromatics via the peroxide shunt pathway, revealing key residues critical for its activity.

Modeling cross-regulatory influences on monolignol transcripts and proteins under single and combinatorial gene knockdowns in Populus trichocarpa

The paper develops a computational model to estimate monolignol transcript and protein abundances under gene knockdowns, showing improved accuracy in predicting responses to single and combinatorial perturbations.