The approach using lignin polymerization plant peroxidase to uncover the lignin-derived biological activity

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K05711
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 40020:Wood science-related
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Shigeto Jun 広島大学, 未来共創科学研究本部, リサーチ・アドミニストレータ― (70570852)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 堤 祐司 九州大学, 農学研究院, 教授 (30236921)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 植物ペルオキシダーゼ / リグニン / 抗酸化活性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Lignins with various bioactivities will be artificially synthesized in vitro and their active structures and compounds will be elucidated to examine the mechanisms of lignin bioactivity expression. It was found that the polymerization product produced by using recombinant protein of CWPO-C, which can produce lignin-like polymerization, has superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity. Furthermore, when the scavenging capacity of four types of reactive oxygen species narrowly defined as “singlet oxygen,” “superoxide,” “hydrogen peroxide,” and “hydroxyl radical” was measured, it was shown to have the ability to scavenge all reactive oxygen species, indicating that it has at least antioxidant activity among the biological activities.

Free Research Field

木質科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究代表者はこれまでにリグニン重合に関与する植物ペルオキシダーゼを同定し、それら組み換えタンパクを用いて、リグニンモノマーから天然リグニンと分子量分布が似たリグニン様ポリマー/オリゴマーの合成に世界で初めて成功している。本研究によって、当該ポリマー/オリゴマーが抗酸化活性を有することが明らかとなり、リグニン様ポリマーの生物活性を解析することで天然リグニンの有する抗酸化活性の正体を追求するアプローチの有効性が示された。