Cinnamoyl-CoA reductase (CCR) catalyzes the penultimate step in
monolignol biosynthesis. It catalyzes the conversion of
feruloyl-CoA to coniferaldehyde and is considered the first enzyme
in the monolignol-specific branch of the phenylpropanoid pathway.
Because downregulation of the CCR gene in annual model plants
significantly reduced lignin content, downregulating CCR in a woody
perennial was an interesting potential avenue to improve wood
quality for pulping.
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