Lignins: Biosynthesis, Biodegradation and Bioengineering

Lignins are nature’s aromatic polymers and are the second most abundant organic constituent of the biosphere next to cellulose. Lignification mainly occurs in the walls of terrestrial vascular plants, mainly in the secondarily thickened cells of supportive or conductive tissues, which thus acquire novel properties.

This new volume of Advances in Botanical Research gives a special emphasis to the bioengineering of these enigmatic polymers. It is divided in nine chapters containing up-to-date reviews by expert groups in their field.

1. Field Trials with Lignin-Modified Transgenic Trees

2. Lignification and Lignin Manipulations in Conifers

3. Molecular Biology of Lignification in Grasses

4. Cytochrome P450s in Lignin Biosynthesis

5. What Role for Plant Laccases in Lignin Polymerization?

6. Transcriptional Regulation of the Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway Revisited: New Players and Insights

7. Lignins and Abiotic Stresses

8. Fungal Strategies for Lignin Degradation

9. Evolutionary History of Lignins