Distribution of wood polymers within the cell wall of transgenic aspen imaged by Raman microscopy

Little is known about the effect of genetic modification on the chemical composition and structure of wood, which could have a significant effect on reactivity during chemical and enzymatic processing. In this study, information was collected by confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) on the spatial distribution of lignin and polysaccharides in the cell wall of young transgenic aspen with reduced lignin content, increased syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) ratio, and simultaneously reduced lignin content and increased S/G ratio. CRM revealed that the lignin content of the cell wall and compound middle lamella was reduced by the genetic modification. A higher volume of water was also found in the cell wall of transgenic aspen compared with wild-type aspen, indicating an increase in the hydrophilicity of the cell wall.