CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF LIGNIN BIOSYNTHETIC ENZYMES

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。木质素是沉积在植物次生细胞壁上的酚醛聚合物，为植物提供结构支撑、抗生物降解和水运输等基本特性。这些聚合物是由三种化学性质不同的单分子醇前体形成的一系列不同的连接而成的。对单木质素生物合成酶，肉桂酰辅酶a还原酶（CCR）、松木醛醇脱氢酶（CAD）和sinapap醛醇脱氢酶（SAD）进行深入的结构研究，将揭示木质素形成过程中至关重要的酶特异性的关键细节。此外，从这些关键酶的结构解析中获得的知识将证明对木质素生物合成途径的合理工程方法至关重要，以合成新的单脂醇。由于该途径的底物和产物的微妙化学变化，同步加速器x射线源对于确定高分辨率结构以揭示单分子醇生物合成的机制细节是必不可少的。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Lignins are phenolic polymers that are deposited in the secondary cell wall of plants, providing plants with such essential properties as structural support, resistance to biodegradation, and water transport. These polymers are derived from a diverse set of linkages of three chemically distinct monolignol precursors. An intensive structural investigation of monolignol biosynthetic enzymes, cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR), coniferaldehyde alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and sinapaldehyde alcohol dehydrogenase (SAD), will reveal key details of enzymatic specificity crucial to lignin formation. In addition, knowledge gained from structural elucidation of these key enzymes will prove critical for a rational approach to engineering of the lignin biosynthetic pathway to synthesize novel monolignols. Due to the subtle chemical variations in substrates and products of this pathway, a synchrotron X-ray source will prove essential for determining high resolution structures necessary to reveal mechanistic details of monolignol biosynthesis.