Open AccessRegulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis by a NAC transcription factor from Miscanthus
Author(s) -
Golfier Philippe,
Volkert Christopher,
He Feng,
Rausch Thomas,
Wolf Sebastian
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plant direct
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.211
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2475-4455
DOI - 10.1002/pld3.24
Subject(s) - secondary cell wall , lignin , cell wall , miscanthus , arabidopsis , transcription factor , microbiology and biotechnology , hemicellulose , lignocellulosic biomass , arabidopsis thaliana , chemistry , biology , mutant , botany , biochemistry , gene , bioenergy , biofuel
Cell wall recalcitrance is a major limitation for the sustainable exploitation of lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable resource. Species and hybrids of the genus Miscanthus have emerged as candidate crops for the production of lignocellulosic feedstock in temperate climates, and dedicated efforts are underway to improve biomass yield. However, nothing is known about the molecular players involved in Miscanthus cell wall biosynthesis to facilitate breeding efforts towards tailored biomass. Here, we identify a Miscanthus sinensis transcription factor related to SECONDARY WALL ‐ ASSOCIATED NAC DOMAIN 1 ( SND 1), which acts as a master switch for the regulation of secondary cell wall formation and lignin biosynthesis. Ms SND 1 is expressed in growth stages associated with secondary cell wall formation, together with its potential targets. Consistent with this observation, Ms SND 1 was able to complement the secondary cell wall defects of the Arabidopsis snd1 nst1 double mutant, and ectopic expression of Ms SND 1 in tobacco leaves was sufficient to trigger patterned deposition of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin reminiscent of xylem elements. Transgenic studies in Arabidopsis thaliana plants revealed that Ms SND 1 regulates, directly and indirectly, the expression of a broad range of genes involved in secondary cell wall formation, including MYB transcription factors which regulate only a subset of the SCW differentiation program. Together, our findings suggest that Ms SND 1 is a transcriptional master regulator orchestrating secondary cell wall biosynthesis in Miscanthus .