Researchers trace the evolution of key plant protein in lignin synthesis

May 17 2024DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that a protein responsible for the synthesis of a key plant material evolved much earlier than suspected. This new research explored the origin and evolution of the biochemical machinery that builds lignin, a structural component of plant cell walls with significant impacts on the clean energy industry.

Understanding how plants developed protective mechanisms that enable survival in new environments is vital as they face challenges imposed by climate change today. But lignin is also of great interest to researchers searching for clean energy options. This tough plant material can be processed and converted into valuable bioproducts.

"The uniqueness of CB5D's role in S-lignin synthesis intrigued us," Liu noted. "So, we were inspired to further explore its origin and evolution." To explore their hypothesis, the scientists ran a genetic analysis to find other plant species whose DNA contained genes similar to the modern CB5D gene, which acts as instructions for assembling the CB5D protein. They identified 21 species, ranging from evolutionarily ancient to evolutionarily recent. The scientists then synthesized these genes and individually expressed them in a modern plant species that was genetically altered to lack the CB5D gene.

"This means that the CB5D evolved millions of years earlier than we had expected," explained Liu. "It was quite surprising to find that a modern electron acceptor like F5H had partnered with an ancient protein to develop new biochemical machinery that synthesizes the advanced lignin structure." Having found ancient genes that encode proteins similar to the modern CB5D protein in terms of S-lignin synthesis in modern plants and cellular localization, the team wanted to learn more about this protein's ancient function and how it changed or expanded over time.

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