Distribution of lignin interunit bonds in the differentiating xylem of compression and normal woods of Pinus thunbergii

Abstract

The lignification process and lignin distribution at different stages of cell wall differentiation in the secondary xylem of compression and normal woods of Pinus thunbergii were investigated by thioacidolysis and subsequent desulfuration. We prepared 50-µm-thick, contiguous tangential sections of pine shoots, cut from the cambial zone through to mature xylem. In compression wood, uncondensed guaiacyl (G) and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) lignins were deposited simultaneously from early to late stages of lignification. The various types of G-G, G-H, and H-H dimers were detected in compression wood, and the ratio of G-H and H-H dimers to total dimers increased as lignification proceeded. In contrast, uncondensed and condensed H units were detected in trace amounts in normal wood. Significant differences in the relative distributions of lignin interunit linkages were not observed between compression and normal woods or between differentiating and mature xylems in either compression or normal woods.