Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42609062›Full record

ArticlePlant biotechnology journal2026

Simultaneous Overexpression of FERULOYL-CoA 6'-HYDROXYLASE 1 and COUMARIN SYNTHASE Leads to Coumarin-Enriched Lignin and Improved Saccharification in Greenhouse- and Field-Grown Poplar.

Nette De Ridder, Lennart Hoengenaert, Jan Van Doorsselaere, Wim De Clercq, Geert Goeminne, Sarah Liu, Fachuang Lu, John Ralph, Ruben Vanholme, Wout Boerjan

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Plant biotechnology journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Nette De RidderDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2636-0261
Lennart HoengenaertDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7101-734X
Jan Van DoorsselaereVIVES, Roeselare, Belgium.
Wim De ClercqResearch Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Geraardsbergen, Belgium.
Geert GoeminneDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Sarah LiuGreat Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Fachuang LuGreat Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8230-9129
John RalphGreat Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6093-4521
Ruben VanholmeDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5848-3138
Wout BoerjanDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1495-510X

Funding

Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek 1SC6625NFonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek G011620NGreat Lakes Bioenergy Research Center DE-SC0018409Universiteit Gent
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The urgent need for renewable resources has increased the interest in woody biomass to manufacture bio-based products. However, lignin recalcitrance limits the enzymatic conversion of wood into fermentable sugars, posing a major challenge for biomass deconstruction. To address this problem, we aimed at incorporating the coumarin scopoletin into the lignin polymer of poplar (Populus tremula × P. alba) by expressing FERULOYL-CoA 6'-HYDROXYLASE 1 (F6'H1) and COUMARIN SYNTHASE (COSY) in lignifying cells. Three constructs were evaluated: two bicistronic constructs, SCOP1 (COSY followed by F6'H1) and SCOP2 (F6'H1 followed by COSY), and one monocistronic, SCOP3 (only F6'H1). SCOP1 poplars produced most free scopoletin without altering overall lignin, cellulose or hemicellulose content. SCOP2 poplars were overall less efficient in scopoletin production and most of these lines showed a severe biomass yield penalty, whereas SCOP3 caused plant lethality. NMR and metabolic analyses confirmed that scopoletin cross-coupled with G and S monomers during lignification in SCOP1 lines. In addition to scopoletin, the detection of benzodioxane structures revealed the incorporation of dihydroxycoumarins. Overall coumarin incorporation in lignin amounted up to 2.3%. After alkaline pretreatment, wood from greenhouse-grown SCOP1 poplars released up to 29% more glucose compared to the wild type upon limited saccharification. Field-testing of three SCOP1 lines showed a 6 to 11% increase in saccharification efficiency, with the line containing the lowest scopoletin levels maintaining normal growth. These results demonstrate that engineering lignin composition in poplar can improve saccharification, and emphasize the importance of construct design, translational research and field validation.

Indexed as

alternative lignin monomersbio‐based economyfield triallignin engineeringlignocellulosic biomassmetabolite profilingtranslational research

Identifiers

PMID42609062
PMCPMC13482191

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.