The origin and evolution of lignin biosynthesis

Lignin, a phenolic polymer derived mainly from hydroxycinnamyl alcohols, is ubiquitously present in tracheophytes. The development of lignin biosynthesis has been considered to be one of the key factors that allowed land plants to flourish in terrestrial ecosystems. Lignin provides structural rigidi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2010-07, Vol.187 (2), p.273-285
Main Authors: Weng, Jing-Ke, Chappie, Clint
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohols
biofuel
Biological Evolution
Biosynthesis
cell wall
Cell walls
convergent evolution
diversification
Enzymes
Evolution
land colonization
Lignans
Lignin
Lignin - biosynthesis
Lignin - chemistry
lycophyte
Metabolism
P450
Phenolic compounds
Phenols
phenylpropanoid
Plant biochemistry
Plants
Plants - metabolism
Polymerization
Polymers
Prepolymers
Rigidity
Tansley reviews
Terrestrial ecosystems
Terrestrial environments
Transpiration
Vascular plants
Xylem
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Summary:Lignin, a phenolic polymer derived mainly from hydroxycinnamyl alcohols, is ubiquitously present in tracheophytes. The development of lignin biosynthesis has been considered to be one of the key factors that allowed land plants to flourish in terrestrial ecosystems. Lignin provides structural rigidity for tracheophytes to stand upright, and strengthens the cell wall of their water-conducting tracheary elements to withstand the negative pressure generated during transpiration. In this review, we discuss a number of aspects regarding the origin and evolution of lignin biosynthesis during land plant evolution, including the establishment of its monomer biosynthetic scaffold, potential precursors to the lignin polymer, as well as the emergence of the polymerization machinery and regulatory system. The accumulated knowledge on the topic, as summarized here, provides us with an evolutionary view on how this complex metabolic system emerged and developed.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03327.x