Monolignol ferulate conjugates are naturally incorporated into plant lignins

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600393
• Publication Date: 2016-10-15T02:49:13Z
• Authors: Steven D. Karlen; Chengcheng Zhang; Matthew L. Peck; Rebecca A. Smith; Dharshana Padmakshan; Kate E. Helmich; Heather C. A. Free; Seonghee Lee; Bronwen G. Smith; Fachuang Lu; John C. Sedbrook; Richard Sibout; John H. Grabber; Troy M. Runge; Kirankumar S. Mysore; Philip J. Harris; Laura E. Bartley; John Ralph
• Keywords: Monolignol; Conjugate; Bioorganic chemistry

Plants have convergently evolved to use monolignol ferulate conjugates produce lignins containing chemically labile backbone esters.