Towards a Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis)-Based Biorefinery: A Case Study of Improved Cell Cultures via

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Dario Paolo1, Franca Locatelli1, Eleonora Cominelli1

  • 1National Research Council-Institute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology (CNR-IBBA), Via Edoardo Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|November 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Genetically modified cardoon plants with reduced lignin content show improved biomass accessibility for biorefinery applications. These transgenic lines also exhibit enhanced growth rates and valuable nutraceutical profiles, making them ideal for industrial use.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Biotechnology
  • Biorefinery
  • Metabolic Engineering

Background:

  • Cultivated cardoon (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis L.) is a valuable source for biomass and nutraceuticals.
  • High lignin content in biomass hinders efficient saccharification, limiting its use in biorefineries.
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation offers a route for genetic improvement of cardoon.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop transgenic cardoon lines with reduced lignin content for improved biorefinery applications.
  • To characterize the metabolic and transcriptomic changes in cardoon overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana MYB4 (AtMYB4).
  • To assess the suitability of modified cardoon for large-scale biomass production and nutraceutical recovery.

Main Methods:

  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation to introduce the AtMYB4 gene.
  • Generation of transgenic cardoon lines overexpressing AtMYB4.
  • Metabolic and transcriptomic analyses comparing transgenic and wild-type lines.
  • Assessment of lignocellulosic biomass accessibility and nutraceutical profiles.

Main Results:

  • Transgenic cardoon lines overexpressing AtMYB4 showed significantly reduced lignin content.
  • Lignocellulosic biomass from transgenic lines exhibited improved accessibility to degrading enzymes.
  • Unexpectedly, transgenic lines displayed increased growth rates compared to wild-type.
  • Enhanced profiles of valuable nutraceuticals, including hydroxycinnamic/caffeoylquinic and fatty acids, were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Overexpression of AtMYB4 in cardoon is an effective strategy to reduce lignin content, enhancing biomass saccharification for biorefinery.
  • Transgenic cardoon lines possess favorable traits, including improved growth and rich nutraceutical profiles, for industrial applications.
  • This biotechnological approach offers a promising avenue for sustainable biomass utilization and value-added product recovery from cardoon.

Keywords:
MYB4cellulose accessibilityligninnutraceuticalsplant cell cultures

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