Modulation of lignin biosynthesis for drought tolerance in plants

Su Jeong Choi; Zion Lee; Sohyun Kim; Eui Jeong; Jae Sung Shim

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1116426

Modulation of lignin biosynthesis for drought tolerance in plants

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Apr 20:14:1116426. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1116426. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Su Jeong Choi¹, Zion Lee¹, Sohyun Kim¹, Eui Jeong¹, Jae Sung Shim¹

Affiliation

¹ School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Lignin is a complex polymer that is embedded in plant cell walls to provide physical support and water protection. For these reasons, the production of lignin is closely linked with plant adaptation to terrestrial regions. In response to developmental cues and external environmental conditions, plants use an elaborate regulatory network to determine the timing and location of lignin biosynthesis. In this review, we summarize the canonical lignin biosynthetic pathway and transcriptional regulatory network of lignin biosynthesis, consisting of NAC and MYB transcription factors, to explain how plants regulate lignin deposition under drought stress. Moreover, we discuss how the transcriptional network can be applied to the development of drought tolerant plants.

Keywords: drought tolerance; lignin; phenylpropanoid; plants; transcriptional regulation.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the New Breeding Technologies Development Program (Project No. PJ01654103) through the Rural Development Administration (RDA), Regional Innovation Strategy through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by Ministry of Education (MOE). This work was also supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) (NRF-2021R1F1A1060339).