Identification and characterisation of genes inducing lignified sclerenchyma during the development of Brachypodium distachyon

Cereal food crops have been selected for thousands of years for “conventional” traits such as grain yield and quality. The development of dedicated crops for sustainable ligno-cellulosic biomass production will require the selection for new traits such as total biomass yield and composition. Brachypodium distachyon is a novel model species for temperate grasses, which is currently being developed at INRA. Here, we propose to elucidate the mechanisms that control on a time scale the lignin deposition during differentiation of sclerenchyma of Brachypodium distachyon. Sclerenchyma is highly rich in cellulose and provide the main biomass for biofuel production. Unfortunatly lignin is a barrier for saccharification, the indutrial process to produce fermentable sugar. In dicots, cellulose accumulation in sclerenchyma is accompagnied by lignin deposition during floral transition. Almost no significant clues are available in monocots. Based on expression profile of oxidoreductase enzymes involved in lignin polymerization, the student will identify new genes co-regulated with these genes in a tissue specific manner and thus decipher the biological limiting bolt for biofuel production.

PhD subject IJPB 2011 from research group Secondary Cell wall