Objectives

The central aim of this project is to make game-changing breakthroughs in our understanding of plant cell walls and to use this knowledge to develop new strategies for breeding added-value plants with modified wall properties that are easier to saccharify for biorefining. We will do this by identifying the molecular barriers to saccharification, and the genes that can be manipulated to lower these barriers. These may be plant genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis or other (often microbial) genes that can modify wall properties or degrade wall polymers when expressed in plants. These genes can then be directly used in GM approaches to breed improved plant feedstocks for biorefining. Alternatively, if GM approaches are not favored, conventional molecular breeding can be applied using the gene as a functional marker to identify the natural variation available and introduce the best alleles into breeding stock.

The Programme is divided into 7 research work packages:

  • WP1 delves into the biochemistry of saccharification to understand the processes underlying the saccharification bottleneck, and the influence of specific cell wall features on it. WP1 perform high-throughput screening of existing germplasm and new materials emerging from the other WPs. 
     
  • WPs 2-4 generate fundamental knowledge into the genes, biochemistry and cell biology involved in assembling cell walls, focusing specifically on lignin, matrix polysaccharides and cellulose. State-of-the-art genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches will be used. These WPs will also identify or generate new transgenics and mutants with modified cell walls for analysis by WP1.
     
  • WP5 test the value to subsequent saccharification of manipulating cell walls by expressing wall modifying or degrading enzymes in plants.
     
  • WP6 develop rational engineering approaches to improve saccharification by integrating knowledge gained in the other WPs to devise efficient strategies for optimizing biomass raw material quality. All participants will contribute intellectually to WP6.
     
  • WP7 provide an efficient management structure for the project, ensuring smooth integration of the research effort, efficient reporting and dissemination of the results.