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Saffer AM, Baskin TI, Verma A, Stanislas T, Oldenbourg R, Irish VF. Cellulose assembles into helical bundles of uniform handedness in cell walls with abnormal pectin composition. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 116:855-870. [PMID: 37548081 PMCID: PMC10592269 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Plant cells and organs grow into a remarkable diversity of shapes, as directed by cell walls composed primarily of polysaccharides such as cellulose and multiple structurally distinct pectins. The properties of the cell wall that allow for precise control of morphogenesis are distinct from those of the individual polysaccharide components. For example, cellulose, the primary determinant of cell morphology, is a chiral macromolecule that can self-assemble in vitro into larger-scale structures of consistent chirality, and yet most plant cells do not display consistent chirality in their growth. One interesting exception is the Arabidopsis thaliana rhm1 mutant, which has decreased levels of the pectin rhamnogalacturonan-I and causes conical petal epidermal cells to grow with a left-handed helical twist. Here, we show that in rhm1 the cellulose is bundled into large macrofibrils, unlike the evenly distributed microfibrils of the wild type. This cellulose bundling becomes increasingly severe over time, consistent with cellulose being synthesized normally and then self-associating into macrofibrils. We also show that in the wild type, cellulose is oriented transversely, whereas in rhm1 mutants, the cellulose forms right-handed helices that can account for the helical morphology of the petal cells. Our results indicate that when the composition of pectin is altered, cellulose can form cellular-scale chiral structures in vivo, analogous to the helicoids formed in vitro by cellulose nano-crystals. We propose that an important emergent property of the interplay between rhamnogalacturonan-I and cellulose is to permit the assembly of nonbundled cellulose structures, providing plants flexibility to orient cellulose and direct morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Saffer
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA
| | - Tobias I Baskin
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, 611 N. Pleasant St, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA
| | - Amitabh Verma
- Marine Biological Laboratories, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA
| | - Thomas Stanislas
- Laboratoire de Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCBL, INRAE, CNRS, 46 Allée d'Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Rudolf Oldenbourg
- Marine Biological Laboratories, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA
| | - Vivian F Irish
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520, USA
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Segal L, Meroz Y. Art-science collaborations: Generators of new ideas and serendipitous events. QUANTITATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 4:e9. [PMID: 37587987 PMCID: PMC10425759 DOI: 10.1017/qpb.2023.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
An increasing number of collaborative projects between artists and scientists raises the question regarding their value, particularly when considering the redirection of resources. Here we provide a personal account of our collaborative efforts, as an artist and a scientist. We propose that one of the most significant outcomes is something that cannot be planned for in advance: serendipitous events. Such events lead to fresh perspectives and imaginative ideas, the fairy dust underlying many great works of art and science. The unexpected nature of these desired outcomes requires from us a leap of faith on the one hand, and a deep trust in our 'partner in crime' on the other.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yasmine Meroz
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Cosgrove DJ. Building an extensible cell wall. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:1246-1277. [PMID: 35460252 PMCID: PMC9237729 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
This article recounts, from my perspective of four decades in this field, evolving paradigms of primary cell wall structure and the mechanism of surface enlargement of growing cell walls. Updates of the structures, physical interactions, and roles of cellulose, xyloglucan, and pectins are presented. This leads to an example of how a conceptual depiction of wall structure can be translated into an explicit quantitative model based on molecular dynamics methods. Comparison of the model's mechanical behavior with experimental results provides insights into the molecular basis of complex mechanical behaviors of primary cell wall and uncovers the dominant role of cellulose-cellulose interactions in forming a strong yet extensible network.
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