Highlights•To date, metabolites from more than 10 different metabolic classes have been
identified as lignin building blocks, totaling 35 monomers.•Despite this flexibility, limitations …

The secondary wall is the main part of wood and is composed of cellulose, xylan, lignin, and
small amounts of structural proteins and enzymes. Lignin molecules can interact directly or …

Advances in synthetic biology enable microbial hosts to synthesize valuable natural
products in an efficient, cost-competitive and safe manner. However, current engineering …

The domestication of forest trees for a more sustainable fiber bioeconomy has long been
hindered by the complexity and plasticity of lignin, a biopolymer in wood that is recalcitrant to …

A multi-omics quantitative integrative analysis of lignin biosynthesis can advance the
strategic engineering of wood for timber, pulp, and biofuels. Lignin is polymerized from three …

Wood is an abundant and renewable feedstock for the production of pulp, fuels, and
biobased materials. However, wood is recalcitrant toward deconstruction into cellulose and …

Natural products account for more than 50% of all small-molecule pharmaceutical agents
currently in clinical use. However, low availability often becomes problematic when a …

Plant laccase (LAC) enzymes belong to the blue copper oxidase family and polymerize
monolignols into lignin. Recent studies have established the involvement of micro RNA s in …

Wood (also termed secondary xylem) is the most abundant biomass produced by plants,
and is one of the most important sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The development of …

Lignified stone cells substantially reduce fruit quality. Therefore, it is desirable to inhibit
stone cell development using genetic technologies. However, the molecular mechanisms …