Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf Methanol and acetic acid graphical abstract .pdf  Poplar esterified cell wall transformations and metabolic integration (PECTIN) study 

Kolby Jardine, Plant Physiology, biochemistry of volatile organic compounds,  plant physiology, LBNL

https://eesa.lbl.gov/profiles/kolby-jeremiah-jardine/ 

Rebecca Dewhirst, biochemical ecology, LBNL

Cassandra Afseth, biomedical engineering, Illinois

Pubudu Handakumbura, Multi-omics approaches in Molecular Plant Phenotyping, PNNL

https://www.pnnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=8402

Robert Young, NMR spectroscopy applications in biophysicalchemistry, PNNL

https://www.pnnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=9120

 Jenny Mortimer, Plant cell wall biosynthesis and metabolism, Plant Systems Biology, JBEI 

http://biosciences.lbl.gov/profiles/jenny-mortimer/

Nancy Washton, gel-state and solid-state NMR chemical analysis of cell walls and metabolism, EMSL

https://www.pnnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=8501

 Mary S. Lipton, Carbon isotope methods in mass spectrometry and plant metabolism, EMSL

 https://www.emsl.pnl.gov/emslweb/people/mary-s-lipton

Cristina Castanha, senior research associate, LBNL

https://eesa.lbl.gov/profiles/cristina-castanha/

Eliana Tucker, student assistant, LBNL

Collaborators: 

Eoin Brodie, Deputy Directory of CESD, Environmental and Biological Systems Sciences and Microbes-to-Biomes, LBNL 

https://eesa.lbl.gov/profiles/eoin-brodie/

Henrik Vibe Scheller, Vice President for Feedstocks and Director of Cell Wall Biology and Engineering, JBEI

https://www.jbei.org/people/leadership/henrik-vibe-scheller/

 Aymerick Eudes, Deputy Director of Cell Wall Biology and Engineering, JBEI

https://www.jbei.org/people/directors_and_scientific_leads/aymerick-eudes/ 

Nate McDowell, non-structural carbohydrates and plant response to drought PNNL/EMSL 

https://www.pnnl.gov/science/staff/staff_info.asp?staff_num=9144

Wellington Muchero, Quantitative geneticist, Poplar genome wide associate study, ORNL

https://www.ornl.gov/staff-profile/wellington-muchero

Alex Guenther, Atmosphere Integrated Research, UCI

http://airuci.uci.edu/faculty/guenther

Breeanna Urbanowicz, University of Georgia, UGA 

https://www.ccrc.uga.edu/personnel/index.php?uid=684&personnel=Non

Abstract

Polysaccharides are major components of plant cell walls that can be converted into fuels by microbial fermentation, making plant biomass an important bioenergy resource. However, a substantial fraction of plant cell wall polysaccharides are chemically modified with methyl and acetyl groups that can reduce fermentation yields. Although little is known about the biochemical and physiological functions of those cell wall modifications in trees, recent evidence in Arabidopsis suggests that they are critical for proper development and functioning of xylem vessels and leaf stomata. While generally considered a waste product of cell wall physiochemical changes, we recently demonstrated that plant-atmosphere emissions of the volatile intermediates methanol and acetic acid are tightly associated with tree growth, stress, and senescence processes and can be both emitted to the atmosphere via stomata and integrated into central C₁ and C₂ plant metabolism. However, methanol and acetic acid are not captured by traditional metabolomics analysis, representing an important gap in our knowledge of cell wall metabolism and its interactions with the environment. To address these knowledge gaps, a DOE BER early career research project (ECRP) was recently funded entitled, “O-Acetylation and methylation engineering of plant cell walls for enhanced biofuel production”. This 5-year project started Nov 1^st, 2018 will study the metabolism of those cell wall modifications and volatile intermediates as well as their role in central physiological processes in the emerging biofuel tree species California poplar (Populus trichocarpa) using field settings and controlled environmental conditions.

PECTIN Publications

1. Dewhirst R, Mortimer J, Jardine K (2020) Do cell wall esters facilitate forest response to climate?  Trends in Plant Science. https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.05.011
2. Dewhirst R, Afseth C, Castanha C, Mortimer J, and Jardine K (2020) Cell wall O-acetyl and methyl esterification patterns of leaves reflected in atmospheric emission signatures of acetic acid and methanol, PLoS ONE 15(5), e0227591. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227591 

3. Dewhirst R, Handakumbura P, Clendinen C, Arm E, Wang W, Washton N, Young R, Mortimer J, McDowell N, Jardine K (2021) Temperature acclimation of leaf gas exchange and photochemistry in Populus trichocarpa, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 5, 8, 1813–1828.

4. Dewhirst R, Lei J, Afseth C, Castanha C, Wistrom C, Mortimer J, Jardine K (2021) Are Methanol-Derived Foliar Methyl Acetate Emissions a Tracer of Acetate-Mediated Drought Survival in Plants? Plants, 10, 411.
   

PECTIN Photos

JBEI

EMSL 

Instrumentation

Relevant books and papers (published)

Poplar