Plant-Specific Bioorthogonal Reporters: Metabolic Labeling and Imaging of Lignification Dynamics in Crops

Most click chemistry and bioorthogonal work has focused on mammalian systems, but Hinnebo et al. (2025, ChemBioChem) emphasize the rising potential in plant biology. This project proposes the design of new, plant-specific bioorthogonal handles (e.g., cyclooctynes or azides tailored to monolignol biosynthesis) for metabolic incorporation during lignification—a process that is essential for crop strength, disease resistance, and biofuel production. By adapting click reporters and imaging modalities to plant tissues (often challenging due to cell walls and unique metabolism), we could directly monitor and perturb lignin formation in crops, opening avenues for agricultural biotechnology and sustainable materials science. This diverges from the mammalian-centric field and leverages click chemistry’s modularity for a highly impactful, underexplored system.

References:

1. From Molecule to Meaning: Click and Bioorthogonal Chemical Reporters for Plant Systems, Biological Imaging, and Artistic Expression.. Marie Hinnebo, Clémence Simon, Adèle Tilouine, C. Spriet, Christophe Biot (2025). ChemBioChem.