Study of the structure and biosynthetic pathway of lignin in stone cells of pear

Pear stone cell content is one of key determinants of fruit quality. Stone cells form by the deposition of lignin on primary cell walls, following secondary thickening of cell walls. Studies of the structure and metabolic pathway of pear lignin are rare. Stone cell and lignin content in the pulp of Pyrus bretschneideri cv. Dangshan Su were determined during fruit development. Lignin was extracted, purified and analyzed by ultraviolet (UV) light, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. Intermediates of lignin biosynthesis were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results show that lignin content increases initially and decreases afterwards during fruit development, peaking twice at day 47 and day 63 after flowering. The lignin peaks precede both peaks of stone cell content (day 51 after flowering) and at the point at which sclereids reach their maximum diameter (day 67 after flowering). The milled wood lignin in pulp was identified as guaiacyl-syringyl-lignin by spectroscopic analyses. In the FTIR spectra, the peak intensity ratio of A1269/A1227 was 1.25. HPLC analyses detected cinnamic acid and p-coumaric acid, but not caffeic acid or ferulic acid. In conclusion, during pear fruit development, lignin is first biosynthesized, and subsequently deposited on cell walls to form stone cells and sclereids. The biosynthesis of guaiacyl-syringyl- lignin in pear pulp may involve a phenylpropane-type metabolic pathway from phenylalanine to cinnamic acid and acyl-CoA ester, as pear pulp lignin contains more guaiacyl units than syringyl units.