Poster: Cell Walls

Abs # 1268: Biofuel research: Engineering low-lignin switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and insertional mutagenesis of Brachypodium distachyon

Presenter:	Vogel, John , jvogel@pw.usda.gov
Authors	Vogel, John  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): USDA, ARS, Western Regional Research Center

Obtaining fuel from plant material offers obvious economic, social and ecological advantages over importing oil. This poster describes two projects that have been initiated to help reach this goal. The first project involves decreasing the lignin content of switchgrass, a native of the North American Tall Grass Prairies. Switchgrass has been chosen as a dedicated energy crop because of its high productivity, perennial habit, C4 physiology, deep root system and wide adaptability. The conversion of switchgrass into ethanol by fermentation of sugars derived from the cell wall is the preferred method to obtain liquid fuel. Since lignin inhibits the enzymes and microorganisms used to break down cell walls and make ethanol, it would be advantageous to decrease the lignin content of switchgrass. A strategy based on dsRNA-induced gene silencing of two lignin biosynthetic genes, cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-(hydroxy)cinnamoyl CoA ligase (4CL), will be employed to decrease lignin content. Preliminary results on the cloning of switchgrass C4H and 4CL will be presented. The second project involves developing resources for the model grass Brachypodium distachyon and screening for mutations affecting cell wall composition. Preliminary results on creating a population of activation tagged mutants will be described.