Affiliation:
1. Department of Biochemistry University of Wisconsin-Madison 433 Babcock Drive Madison WI 53706 USA
2. Department of Botany and Department of Wood Science University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4 Canada
Abstract
AbstractChemically labile ester linkages can be introduced into lignin by incorporation of monolignol conjugates, which are synthesized in planta by acyltransferases that use a coenzyme A (CoA) thioester donor and a nucleophilic monolignol alcohol acceptor. The presence of these esters facilitates processing and aids in the valorization of renewable biomass feedstocks. However, the effectiveness of this strategy is potentially limited by the low steady‐state levels of aromatic acid thioester donors in plants. As part of an effort to overcome this, aromatic acid CoA ligases involved in microbial aromatic degradation were identified and screened against a broad panel of substituted cinnamic and benzoic acids involved in plant lignification. Functional fingerprinting of this ligase library identified four robust, highly active enzymes capable of facile, rapid, and high‐yield synthesis of aromatic acid CoA thioesters under mild aqueous reaction conditions mimicking in planta activity.
Funder
U.S. Department of Energy
Subject
Organic Chemistry,Molecular Biology,Molecular Medicine,Biochemistry