PubMed · 2026-05-22
Scientists used CRISPR gene editing to confirm that a single plant enzyme performs two critical jobs at once: protecting cells from oxidative damage and building lignin, the woody material that gives plants their structure and strength. Disrupting this dual-purpose enzyme in grasses and poplar trees stunted growth and weakened cell walls, revealing that lignin production is the primary driver of healthy plant development.
CRISPR knockout of the C3H/APX gene in Brachypodium grass reduced lignin content and altered its chemical composition, causing impaired growth that was rescued by supplying caffeate or ferulate externally.
Elevated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in knockout mutants was not the cause of growth defects — adding catalase to neutralize H2O2 did not restore plant growth, pointing to disrupted lignin biosynthesis as the primary culprit.
Double-gene knockouts (both C3H/APX paralogs) caused severe developmental failure in both species: near-lethality in Brachypodium and complete inability to regenerate from tissue culture in poplar.
