HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Abstract Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Related articles in Crop Science Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (22) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Grabber, J. H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Grabber, J. H. Agricola Articles by Grabber, J. H. Related Collections Germplasm Enhancement Forage Management Nutrient Management

How Do Lignin Composition, Structure, and Cross-Linking Affect Degradability? A Review of Cell Wall Model Studies

U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, USDA-ARS, 1925 Linden Drive West, Madison, WI 53706

View larger version (29K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Lignin precursors (i.e., monolignols) used to form DHP-CWs with primary maize walls and major ferulate and diferulate esters forming xylan–xylan and xylan–lignin cross-linked structures in DHP–CWs. ‘Ara’ are arabinofuranosyl residues on arabinoxylans. Dotted arrows indicate potential sites for coupling with monolignols during lignin polymerization.

View larger version (10K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Monolignol (1) and lignin (2) radicals can undergo ß-O-4 coupling to form quinone methide intermediates (3). These intermediates are stabilized by the addition of nucleophiles (Nu), such as water, uronic acids, or neutral sugars to form structures (4), which are substituted with -hydroxyl groups or cross-linked to the cell wall matrix by benzyl -ester or benzyl -ether linkages.