Abstract
Pectin is a component of the cell walls of plants that is composed of acidic sugar-containing backbones with neutral sugar-containing side chains. It functions in cell adhesion and wall hydration, and pectin crosslinking influences wall porosity and plant morphogenesis. Despite its low abundance in the secondary cell walls that make up the majority of lignocellulosic biomass, recent results have indicated that pectin influences secondary wall formation in addition to its roles in primary wall biosynthesis and modification. This mini-review will examine these and other recent results in the context of biomass yield and digestibility and discuss how these traits might be enhanced by the genetic and molecular modification of pectin. The utility of pectin as a high-value, renewable biomass co-product will also be highlighted.
Highlights
Roles of pectin in biomass yield and processing for biofuelsReviewed by: Henrik Scheller, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Herman Höfte, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France
In a society with an increasing demand for renewable energy, plant species as diverse as switchgrass, sugarcane, Miscanthus, Jatropha, poplar, willow, and Agave have been put forward as candidates for lignocellulosic feedstocks to produce liquid biofuels with low net greenhouse gas emissions (Carroll and Somerville, 2009; Somerville et al, 2010)
Pectin is a major component of the primary cell walls of dicotyledonous plants and is present in smaller amounts in the secondary walls of dicots and both types of cell walls in monocots (Vogel, 2008)
Summary
Reviewed by: Henrik Scheller, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA Herman Höfte, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France. Pectin is a component of the cell walls of plants that is composed of acidic sugar-containing backbones with neutral sugar-containing side chains It functions in cell adhesion and wall hydration, and pectin crosslinking influences wall porosity and plant morphogenesis. Despite its low abundance in the secondary cell walls that make up the majority of lignocellulosic biomass, recent results have indicated that pectin influences secondary wall formation in addition to its roles in primary wall biosynthesis and modification. This mini-review will examine these and other recent results in the context of biomass yield and digestibility and discuss how these traits might be enhanced by the genetic and molecular modification of pectin.
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