Associate Professor
Sintho Wahyuning Ardie
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, West Java, Indonesia
Sintho Wahyuning Ardie1, Tsugama Daisuke2, Willy Bayuardi Suwarno1, M Reza Pahlevi1, Ramadaniarto Rizqullah1
1 Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Bogor, 16680, West Java, Indonesia
2 Asian Research Center for Bioresource and Environmental Sciences (ARC-BRES), Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Lignin biosynthesis is a key determinant of plant cell wall composition, with cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) and caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT) serving as critical enzymes that influence the syringyl/guaiacyl (S/G) lignin ratio. This ratio impacts biomass digestibility and the efficiency of biofuel production. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv.) is a climate-resilient crop with promising potential for food, feed, and bioenergy applications. This study aimed to characterize CAD and COMT genes from two Indonesian foxtail millet accessions, Botok4 and Botok10, which exhibit similar lignin content but contrasting ADF (acid detergent fiber) content, to elucidate their roles in lignin composition and its implications for biomass utilization. The 4,253 bp genomic region of SiCAD1 was successfully amplified, revealing sequence variations—particularly in Botok4—that aligned it more closely with Setaria viridis. Protein modeling and structural superimposition (RMSD = 0 Å) of the non-synonymous Ile155Val substitution indicated structural stability in Botok4 (ΔΔG = –1.12). Additionally, the 2,403 bp SiCOMT2 gene was amplified from both accessions and clustered with O-methyltransferase genes from other species in a phylogenetic analysis. Two non-synonymous substitutions, Ala67Thr and Pro72Ala, were identified within the methyltransferase dimerization domain of Botok10, with the latter predicted to reduce protein structural stability. These findings suggest that variations in CAD and COMT genes, particularly those affecting protein structure and phylogenetic relationships, may contribute to differences in lignin composition and ADF content, offering insights into the genetic basis of biomass quality in foxtail millet.
Biography of the presenting author
Dr. Sintho Wahyuning Ardie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Indonesia, with expertise in Plant Biotechnology. She earned her BSc and MS degrees from IPB University and completed her PhD at the University of Tokyo. Her research centers on elucidating plant tolerance mechanisms to abiotic stresses through physiological and molecular approaches. She is particularly focused on identifying key genes associated with stress tolerance and developing molecular markers to support breeding programs for resilient crop varieties. Dr. Ardie has extensive experience investigating plant responses to salinity, drought, submergence, high temperature, aluminum toxicity, phosphorus deficiency, and iron toxicity. Her primary crop interests include foxtail millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv) and other underutilized cereals, which hold promise for food security and climate adaptation.
Presenting author details
Full name: Sintho Wahyuning Ardie (Ph.D)
Contact number: +62-251-8629353
Email: sintho_wa@apps.ipb.ac.id
LinkedIn
Scopus ID: 33067459100
Session name/ number: Agricultural Biotechnology/ 2
Category: Oral presentation