Buanafina lab is interested in understanding the role of feruloylation in grass cell walls, identifying gene(s) involved, understanding lignin deposition and arabinoxylans biosynthesis. It is also part of our research to study the expression of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes in planta in order to test if their expression can assist the digestion of polysaccharides and improve the nutritional properties of grass as a ruminant feed or as a bioenergy crop. We make use of forward and reverse genetic approaches, spectrophotometric, chromatography and microscopy techniques, chemical mutagenesis and genetic transformation.