4.7 Article

Fiber Cell-Specific Expression of the VP16-Fused Ethylene Response Factor 41 Protein Increases Biomass Yield and Alters Lignin Composition

Journal

FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
Volume 12, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.654655

Keywords

Arabidopsis thaliana; ERFIIId; e transcription factors; primary cell wall; fiber cell; lignin; syringyl (S); guaiacyl (G) ratio

Categories

Funding

  1. JST ALCA program [JPMJAL1107]
  2. JSPS KAKENHI [JP18H02259, JP19K16174]

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The specific transcription factor ERF041-VP16 can increase cell wall thickness, enhance cell wall content, alter lignin composition and deposition, thereby improving biomass yield.
Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factors belonging to the ERFIIId and ERFIIIe subclade (ERFIIId/e) of the APETALA 2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) family enhance primary cell wall (PCW) formation. These transcription factors activate expression of genes encoding PCW-type cellulose synthase (CESA) subunits and other genes for PCW biosynthesis. In this study, we show that fiber-specific expression of ERF035-VP16 and ERF041-VP16, which are VP16-fused proteins of ERFIIId/e members, promote cell wall thickening in a wild-type background with a concomitant increase of alcohol insoluble residues (cell wall content) per fresh weight (FW) and monosaccharides related to the PCW without affecting plant growth. Furthermore, in the ERF041-VP16 lines, the total amount of lignin and the syringyl (S)/guaiacyl (G) ratio decreased, and the enzymatic saccharification yield of glucose from cellulose per fresh weight improved. In these lines, PCW-type CESA genes were upregulated and ferulate 5-hydropxylase1 (F5H1), which is necessary for production of the S unit lignin, was downregulated. In addition, various changes in the expression levels of transcription factors regulating secondary cell wall (SCW) formation were observed. In conclusion, fiber cell-specific ERF041-VP16 improves biomass yield, increases PCW components, and alters lignin composition and deposition and may be suitable for use in future molecular breeding programs of biomass crops.

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