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Seeing the wood and the trees

机译:看到木头和树木

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Cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin are key natural polymers that make up the bulk of plant biomass. These biopolymers are also renewable resources for the production of dietary fibre, paper and biofuels. On page 571 of this issue, Taylor-Teeples et al. report the identification of the gene regulatory network that controls the synthesis of these biopolymers in root xylem cells of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Xylem is a plant tissue that provides mechanical support and the main mechanism for transporting water and nutrients from root to shoot tissues. To perform these important functions, xylem cells deposit a specially reinforced structure termed the secondary cell wall (Fig. 1). Xylem secondary cell walls are composed mainly of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The cellulose forms a network of load-bearing fibres coated in hemicelluloses and embedded in lignin, providing mechanical strength and rigidity (akin to steel rods set in reinforced concrete). However, the presence of lignin is a major impediment to efficient extraction of the sugars in cellulose and hemicelluloses for their conversion to biofuels. Hence, understanding how the relative proportions of these biopolymers are controlled in plant tissue would open up opportunities to redesign plants for biofuel use.
机译:纤维素,半纤维素和木质素是构成植物生物质大部分的关键天然聚合物。这些生物聚合物也是可再生资源,用于生产膳食纤维,纸张和生物燃料。在本期杂志的第571页上,Taylor-Teeples等人。报道了控制模式植物拟南芥根木质部细胞中这些生物聚合物合成的基因调控网络的鉴定。木质部是一种植物组织,提供机械支撑,是从根到芽组织运输水分和养分的主要机制。为了执行这些重要功能,木质部细胞沉积了一种特殊的增强结构,称为次生细胞壁(图1)。木质部二次细胞壁主要由纤维素,半纤维素和木质素组成。纤维素形成覆盖在半纤维素中并包埋在木质素中的承载纤维网络,从而提供机械强度和刚度(类似于固定在钢筋混凝土中的钢棒)。然而,木质素的存在是有效提取纤维素和半纤维素中的糖以转化为生物燃料的主要障碍。因此,了解如何控制植物组织中这些生物聚合物的相对比例将为重新设计用于生物燃料的植物提供机会。

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  • 来源
    《Nature》 |2015年第7536期|558-559|共2页
  • 作者单位

    Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK;

    Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK;

  • 收录信息 美国《科学引文索引》(SCI);美国《工程索引》(EI);美国《生物学医学文摘》(MEDLINE);美国《化学文摘》(CA);
  • 原文格式 PDF
  • 正文语种 eng
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