{
  "id": 7840021,
  "title": "Establishment of the grass lignin metabolic network during monocot evolution",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/establishment-of-the-grass-lignin-metabolic-network-during-monocot",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.14.751253v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Plants generate a wide range of chemical compounds, but the evolution of their complex metabolic networks is not well understood. Grasses, belonging to the Poaceae family, have a unique lignin metabolic network that can create both standard lignin and distinct acylated and tricin-conjugated lignin subunits. This research examines the evolutionary changes and formation of the grass lignin metabolic network by merging phylogenomics, biochemical, and chemical studies across Poaceae, Poales, and other monocot plants. Collectively, these analyses show that the acylated lignin emerged in commelinids, followed by lignin synthesis from tyrosine in non-grass grasses through fine-tuning of pathway enzymes and transcription factors. Subsequently, the synthesis and integration of the flavonoid tricin into the cell wall occurred within the core grasses due to the development of chrysoeriol 5-hydroxylase (C5H) activity within the CYP75B enzyme family. These findings highlight the appearance of separate network modules at different points in monocot evolution, which were subsequently integrated into the intricate yet cohesive metabolic network responsible for the distinct lignin chemical diversity in grasses.",
  "summary": "Plants produce a vast diversity of chemical compounds, yet the evolutionary history of the underlying complex metabolic networks remains poorly understood. Grasses (Poaceae family) possess a unique lignin metabolic network that can utilize both phenylalanine and tyrosine as precursors to synthesize canonical lignin as well as non-canonical acylated and tricin-conjugated lignin subunits. This…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}