Determining the Genetic Regulation and Coordination of Lignification in Stem Tissues of Arabidopsis Using Semiquantitative Raman Microspectroscopy

Lignin is a phenolic polymer accumulatig in the cell walls of specific plant cell types to confer unique properties such as hydrophobicity, mechanical strengthening, and resistance to degradation. Different cell types accumulate lignin with specific concentration and composition to support their specific roles in the different plant tissues. Yet the genetic mechanisms controlling lignin quantity and composition differently between the different lignified cell types and tissues still remain poorly understood. To investigate this tissue-specific genetic regulation, we validated both the target molecular structures as well as the linear semi-quantitative capacity of Raman microspectroscopy to characterize the total lignin amount, S/G ratio, and coniferyl alcohol content in situ directly in plant biopsies. Using the optimized method on stems of multiple lignin biosynthesis loss-of-function mutants revealed that the genetic regulation of lignin is tissue specific, with distinct genes establishing nonredundant check-points to trigger specific compensatory adjustments affecting either lignin composition and/or cell wall polymer concentrations.