Characterization of lignin deposition in <i>Pinus taeda</i> L. cell suspension cultures

<i>Pinus taeda</i> L. suspension culture cells were used to develop a model system to study the process of lignification occurring during the early stages of cell wall formation and maturation. Chemical, biochemical and histochemical analyses of the <i>P. taeda</i> suspension cultures grown with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as the growth regulator did not provide conclusive evidence for lignin deposition. On the other hand, cultures in which 2,4-D was substituted with α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) were shown to lignify. During this induction of lignification, limited cell wall thickening occurred since transmission electron microscopy of the 2,4-D grown cells showed only primary walls while the average cell wall thickness of the NAA-grown cells was consistent with secondary (S₁) layer formation. Despite the possibility of only limited lignin deposition in the 2,4-0 grown cells, secondary metabolism had occurred as evidenced by reversed-phase and chiral chromatographic separations which revealed the ability of these cells to produce enantiomerically pure (-)-matairesinol. Administrations of [1-¹³C], [2-¹³C ] and [3-¹³C ] specifically labeled phenylalanines to the <i>P. taeda</i> suspension cultures in medium containing NAA allowed the determination of lignin bonding patterns <i>in situ</i> by solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy of the resulting ¹³C enriched cells. Aqueous and organic solvent extractions and protease treatment yielded ¹³C enriched cell walls for solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopic analyses of the cell wall bound lignin component. Subsequently, an isolated lignin derivative from these cell walls was analyzed by solution-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and verified the assignments made in the solid-state. Accordingly, the above experiments represent the first demonstration of lignin bonding patterns <i>in situ</i> in a <i>Pinus</i> species as well as a suspension culture. This culture system possesses great potential as a model to thoroughly study the early stages of lignification.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Wood Science and Forest Products

Department dc:contributor.department

Wood Science and Forest Products

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1992

Author dc:creator

• Eberhardt, Thomas Leonard

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Lewis, Norman G.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Ifju, Geza
• Cramer, Carole L.
• Glasser, Wolfgang G.
• Hess, John L.
• White, Robert H.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-07282008-134210

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/38851