SU seminar: Prof. Shinya Kajita – Natural and artificial lignins in plants: Their molecular structures and contribution to delignification processes

When: Wednesday 13^th of November in N399 of Stockholm University at 14:00 or via https://stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/68354958453

Title: Natural and artificial lignins in plants: Their molecular structures and contribution to delignification processes   

Speaker: Prof. Shinya Kajita, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan) (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7187-6059) 

Abstract: Lignin is an aromatic polymer deposited in plant cell walls. If the cell wall is compared to a reinforced concrete structure, lignin is the equivalent component of concrete. Lignin in naturally occurring plants is synthesized by building it up one by one like “LEGO works”, with hydroxycinnamyl alcohols, known as monolignols. Just as different types of LEGO pieces create unique works, plants can deposit novel lignins with unique structures into cell walls by natural mutation and genetic engineering. In my talk, molecular characteristics of the unique lignins in genetically modified plants and a natural woody mutant as well as their highly delignification properties will be discussed.