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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Plant Biotechnology Journal

Lessons From CABBI: Advancing Vegetative Oil Production in C4 Crops Through a Vertically Integrated DBTL Framework

  • Daniel Lunn1,2,3,4
  • Kiyoul Park5,6
  • Narendra Naik Deshavath4,7
  • Jia Dong1,2,4,8
  • Kankshita Swaminathan9,10
  • Jeremy Guest4,11
  • Andrew D. B. Leakey1,2,3,4
  • Nathaniel M. Butler6,12,13
  • Jorg Schwender14,15
  • Vijay Singh4,7
  • John Shanklin14,15
  • Fredy Altpeter16,17
1 more authors
  • Edgar B. Cahoon5,6
17 affiliations
  1. 1Carl R. Woese Institute of Genomic Biology University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  2. 2Department of Plant Biology University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  3. 3Center for Digital Agriculture University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  4. 4DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  5. 5Center for Plant Science Innovation and Department of Biochemistry University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska USA
  6. 6DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska USA
  7. 7Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  8. 8Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science Cornell University Ithaca New York USA
  9. 9HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Huntsville Alabama USA
  10. 10DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Huntsville Alabama USA
  11. 11The Grainger College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana Illinois USA
  12. 12Department of Agronomy & Horticulture University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska USA
  13. 13Plant Transformation Core Research Facility, Agricultural Research Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Lincoln Nebraska USA
  14. 14Department of Biology Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton New York USA
  15. 15DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton New York USA
  16. 16Agronomy Department, Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Genetics Institute University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gainesville Florida USA
  17. 17DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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Abstract

The global demand for renewable liquid fuels and biobased chemicals has intensified interest in engineering high‐biomass C4 grasses to accumulate triacylglycerol (TAG) in vegetative tissues. Achieving this goal requires coordinated solutions across molecular biology, crop science, chemical engineering, and life cycle assessment, disciplines that rarely operate within a single research program. The Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) was established to provide this integration through a Design–Build–Test–Learn (DBTL) framework applied to three C4 feedstocks: saccharum (Saccharum spp. hybrids), sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ), and miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus). Through iterative DBTL cycles, CABBI has produced transgenic saccharum and sorghum lines with substantially elevated levels of vegetative TAG, with multi‐location field trials having confirmed stable trait heritability and lipid yields. We have also leveraged our integration to develop a dual system biorefinery that co‐recovers vegetative lipids with fermentable sugars at levels sufficient to achieve industrial ethanol titres. Importantly, this fully integrated cross‐disciplinary data integration model has highlighted the key constraints currently preventing TAG‐rich vegetative oil from achieving commercial viability as: (i) active lipid turnover, (ii) photosynthetic trade‐offs, (iii) spatial misexpression, and (iv) bioprocessing challenges. CABBI uses emerging technologies, including biofoundry‐enabled construct screening, precision genome editing, and machine‐learning‐assisted regulatory design, to further accelerate DBTL cycles. More broadly, this work illustrates how integrative centre‐scale research that unites diverse expertise can accelerate discovery and translation, positioning these systems to expand agricultural markets and contribute to a more secure and resilient bioeconomy.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lunn2026lessons,
  title = {{Lessons From CABBI: Advancing Vegetative Oil Production in C4 Crops Through a Vertically Integrated DBTL Framework}},
  author = {Daniel Lunn and Kiyoul Park and Narendra Naik Deshavath and Jia Dong and Kankshita Swaminathan and Jeremy Guest and Andrew D. B. Leakey and Nathaniel M. Butler and Jorg Schwender and Vijay Singh and John Shanklin and Fredy Altpeter and Edgar B. Cahoon},
  journal = {Plant Biotechnology Journal},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1111/pbi.70771},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70771},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Lessons From CABBI: Advancing Vegetative Oil Production in C4 Crops Through a Vertically Integrated DBTL Framework
AU  - Daniel Lunn
AU  - Kiyoul Park
AU  - Narendra Naik Deshavath
AU  - Jia Dong
AU  - Kankshita Swaminathan
AU  - Jeremy Guest
AU  - Andrew D. B. Leakey
AU  - Nathaniel M. Butler
AU  - Jorg Schwender
AU  - Vijay Singh
AU  - John Shanklin
AU  - Fredy Altpeter
AU  - Edgar B. Cahoon
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/28
JO  - Plant Biotechnology Journal
DO  - 10.1111/pbi.70771
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70771
AB  - The global demand for renewable liquid fuels and biobased chemicals has intensified interest in engineering high‐biomass C4 grasses to accumulate triacylglycerol (TAG) in vegetative tissues. Achieving this goal requires coordinated solutions across molecular biology, crop science, chemical engineering, and life cycle assessment, disciplines that rarely operate within a single research program. The Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) was established to provide this integration through a Design–Build–Test–Learn (DBTL) framework applied to three C4 feedstocks: saccharum (Saccharum spp. hybrids), sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ), and miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus). Through iterative DBTL cycles, CABBI has produced transgenic saccharum and sorghum lines with substantially elevated levels of vegetative TAG, with multi‐location field trials having confirmed stable trait heritability and lipid yields. We have also leveraged our integration to develop a dual system biorefinery that co‐recovers vegetative lipids with fermentable sugars at levels sufficient to achieve industrial ethanol titres. Importantly, this fully integrated cross‐disciplinary data integration model has highlighted the key constraints currently preventing TAG‐rich vegetative oil from achieving commercial viability as: (i) active lipid turnover, (ii) photosynthetic trade‐offs, (iii) spatial misexpression, and (iv) bioprocessing challenges. CABBI uses emerging technologies, including biofoundry‐enabled construct screening, precision genome editing, and machine‐learning‐assisted regulatory design, to further accelerate DBTL cycles. More broadly, this work illustrates how integrative centre‐scale research that unites diverse expertise can accelerate discovery and translation, positioning these systems to expand agricultural markets and contribute to a more secure and resilient bioeconomy.
SN  - 1467-7644
SN  - 1467-7652
ER  -