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Guo F, Wang J, Liu W, Hu J, Chen Y, Zhang X, Yang R, Yu Y. Role of microfibril angle in molecular deformation of cellulose fibrils in Pinus massoniana compression wood and opposite wood studied by in-situ WAXS. Carbohydr Polym 2024; 334:122024. [PMID: 38553223 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2024.122024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Upon tensile stress, the spiral cellulose fibrils in wood cell walls rotate like springs with decreasing microfibril angle (MFA), and the cellulose molecules elongate in the chain direction. Compression wood with high MFA and opposite wood with low MFA were comparatively studied by in-situ tensile tests combined with synchrotron radiation WAXS in the present study. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that compression wood had a higher lignin content and fewer acetyl groups. For both types of wood, the lattice spacing d004 increased and the MFA decreased gradually with the increase of tensile stress. At stresses beyond the yield point, cellulose lattice strain depended linearly on macroscopic stress, while the MFA depended linearly on macroscopic strain. The deformation mechanisms of compression wood and opposite wood are not essentially different but differ in their deformation behavior. Specifically, the contribution ratio of lattice strain and cellulose fibril reorientation to macroscopic strain was 0.25 and 0.53 for compression wood, and 0.40 and 0.33 for opposite wood, respectively. Due to the geometric effects of MFA, a greater contribution of cellulose fibril reorientation to the macroscopic deformation was detected in compression wood than in opposite wood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Guo
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China.
| | - Jiahao Wang
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China.
| | - Wenxuan Liu
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China
| | - Jie Hu
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China.
| | - Ye Chen
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China.
| | - Xuexia Zhang
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China
| | - Rilong Yang
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China
| | - Yan Yu
- College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Minhou, Fuzhou 350108, PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fuzhou 350108, PR China.
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2
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Du Y, Zhao H, Feng N, Zheng D, Khan A, Zhou H, Deng P, Wang Y, Lu X, Jiang W. Alginate Oligosaccharides Alleviate Salt Stress in Rice Seedlings by Regulating Cell Wall Metabolism to Maintain Cell Wall Structure and Improve Lodging Resistance. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1215. [PMID: 38732430 PMCID: PMC11085217 DOI: 10.3390/plants13091215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that damage the structure and composition of cell walls. Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) have been advocated to significantly improve plant stress tolerance. The metabolic mechanism by which AOS induces salt tolerance in rice cell walls remains unclear. Here, we report the impact of AOS foliar application on the cell wall composition of rice seedlings using the salt-tolerant rice variety FL478 and the salt-sensitive variety IR29. Data revealed that salt stress decreased biomass, stem basal width, stem breaking strength, and lodging resistance; however, it increased cell wall thickness. In leaves, exogenous AOS up-regulated the expression level of OSCESA8, increased abscisic acid (ABA) and brassinosteroids (BR) content, and increased β-galacturonic activity, polygalacturonase activity, xylanase activity, laccase activity, biomass, and cellulose content. Moreover, AOS down-regulated the expression levels of OSMYB46 and OSIRX10 and decreased cell wall hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin content to maintain cell wall stability under salt stress. In stems, AOS increased phenylalamine ammonia-lyase and tyrosine ammonia-lyase activities, while decreasing cellulase, laccase, and β-glucanase activities. Furthermore, AOS improved the biomass and stem basal width and also enhanced the cellulose, pectin, and lignin content of the stem, As a result, increased resistance to stem breakage strength and alleviated salt stress-induced damage, thus enhancing the lodging resistance. Under salt stress, AOS regulates phytohormones and modifies cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin metabolism to maintain cell wall structure and improve stem resistance to lodging. This study aims to alleviate salt stress damage to rice cell walls, enhance resistance to lodging, and improve salt tolerance in rice by exogenous application of AOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youwei Du
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Huimin Zhao
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Naijie Feng
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China
| | - Dianfeng Zheng
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China
| | - Aaqil Khan
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
| | - Hang Zhou
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Peng Deng
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Yaxing Wang
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Xutong Lu
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
| | - Wenxin Jiang
- College of Coastal Agriculture Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China; (Y.D.); (H.Z.); (A.K.); (H.Z.); (P.D.); (Y.W.); (X.L.); (W.J.)
- South China Center of National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, Zhanjiang 524088, China
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Yu J, Del Mundo JT, Freychet G, Zhernenkov M, Schaible E, Gomez EW, Gomez ED, Cosgrove DJ. Dynamic Structural Change of Plant Epidermal Cell Walls under Strain. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2311832. [PMID: 38386283 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The molecular foundations of epidermal cell wall mechanics are critical for understanding structure-function relationships of primary cell walls in plants and facilitating the design of bioinspired materials. To uncover the molecular mechanisms regulating the high extensibility and strength of the cell wall, the onion epidermal wall is stretched uniaxially to various strains and cell wall structures from mesoscale to atomic scale are characterized. Upon longitudinal stretching to high strain, epidermal walls contract in the transverse direction, resulting in a reduced area. Atomic force microscopy shows that cellulose microfibrils exhibit orientation-dependent rearrangements at high strains: longitudinal microfibrils are straightened out and become highly ordered, while transverse microfibrils curve and kink. Small-angle X-ray scattering detects a 7.4 nm spacing aligned along the stretch direction at high strain, which is attributed to distances between individual cellulose microfibrils. Furthermore, wide-angle X-ray scattering reveals a widening of (004) lattice spacing and contraction of (200) lattice spacing in longitudinally aligned cellulose microfibrils at high strain, which implies longitudinal stretching of the cellulose crystal. These findings provide molecular insights into the ability of the wall to bear additional load after yielding: the aggregation of longitudinal microfibrils impedes sliding and enables further stretching of the cellulose to bear increased loads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Yu
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Joshua T Del Mundo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Guillaume Freychet
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Mikhail Zhernenkov
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Eric Schaible
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Esther W Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Daniel J Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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Fanova A, Sotiropoulos K, Radulescu A, Papagiannopoulos A. Advances in Small Angle Neutron Scattering on Polysaccharide Materials. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:490. [PMID: 38399868 PMCID: PMC10891522 DOI: 10.3390/polym16040490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Polysaccharide materials and biomaterials gain the focus of intense research owing to their great versatility in chemical structures and modification possibilities, as well as their biocompatibility, degradability, and sustainability features. This review focuses on the recent advances in the application of SANS on polysaccharide systems covering a broad range of materials such as nanoparticulate assemblies, hydrogels, nanocomposites, and plant-originating nanostructured systems. It motivates the use of SANS in its full potential by demonstrating the features of contrast variation and contrast matching methods and by reporting the methodologies for data analysis and interpretation. As these soft matter systems may be organized in multiple length scales depending on the interactions and chemical bonds between their components, SANS offers exceptional and unique opportunities for advanced characterization and optimization of new nanostructured polysaccharide materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Fanova
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Lichtenbergstraße 1, 85747 Garching, Germany; (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | | | - Aurel Radulescu
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Lichtenbergstraße 1, 85747 Garching, Germany; (A.F.); (A.R.)
| | - Aristeidis Papagiannopoulos
- Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue, 11635 Athens, Greece
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5
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Jarvis MC. Forces on and in the cell walls of living plants. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 194:8-14. [PMID: 37403192 PMCID: PMC10762502 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Environmental influences and differential growth subject plants to mechanical forces. Forces on the whole plant resolve into tensile forces on its primary cell walls and both tensile and compression forces on the secondary cell wall layers of woody tissues. Forces on cell walls are further resolved into forces on cellulose microfibrils and the noncellulosic polymers between them. Many external forces on plants oscillate, with time constants that vary from seconds to milliseconds. Sound waves are a high-frequency example. Forces on the cell wall lead to responses that direct the oriented deposition of cellulose microfibrils and the patterned expansion of the cell wall, leading to complex cell and tissue morphology. Recent experiments have established many of the details of which cell wall polymers associate with one another in both primary and secondary cell walls, but questions remain about which of the interconnections are load bearing, especially in primary cell walls. Direct cellulose-cellulose interactions appear to have a more important mechanical role than was previously thought, and some of the noncellulosic polymers may have a role in keeping microfibrils apart rather than cross-linking them as formerly envisaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Jarvis
- College of Science and Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland, UK
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6
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Paajanen A, Zitting A, Rautkari L, Ketoja JA, Penttilä PA. Nanoscale Mechanism of Moisture-Induced Swelling in Wood Microfibril Bundles. NANO LETTERS 2022; 22:5143-5150. [PMID: 35767745 PMCID: PMC9284609 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c00822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Understanding nanoscale moisture interactions is fundamental to most applications of wood, including cellulosic nanomaterials with tailored properties. By combining X-ray scattering experiments with molecular simulations and taking advantage of computed scattering, we studied the moisture-induced changes in cellulose microfibril bundles of softwood secondary cell walls. Our models reproduced the most important experimentally observed changes in diffraction peak locations and widths and gave new insights into their interpretation. We found that changes in the packing of microfibrils dominate at moisture contents above 10-15%, whereas deformations in cellulose crystallites take place closer to the dry state. Fibrillar aggregation is a significant source of drying-related changes in the interior of the microfibrils. Our results corroborate the fundamental role of nanoscale phenomena in the swelling behavior and properties of wood-based materials and promote their utilization in nanomaterials development. Simulation-assisted scattering analysis proved an efficient tool for advancing the nanoscale characterization of cellulosic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antti Paajanen
- VTT
Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - Aleksi Zitting
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland
| | - Lauri Rautkari
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland
| | - Jukka A. Ketoja
- VTT
Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland
| | - Paavo A. Penttilä
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16300, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland
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7
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Effect of the Longitudinal Tensile Creep on the Stiffness of Radiata Pine ( Pinus radiata D. Don). MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15124314. [PMID: 35744373 PMCID: PMC9231006 DOI: 10.3390/ma15124314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
The influence of load on the cellulose microfibrils of single cells or thin wood foils is known. It can decrease the cellulose microfibril angles and, in turn, increase the stiffness. However, this modification of a piece of wood, which is made up of multiple cells, is unknown. The aim of this research was to study the effect of tensile creep on the longitudinal stiffness of radiata pine wood. The modulus of elasticity of each specimen was determined before and after being subjected to tensile creep. The samples were loaded at 1170 N and 1530 N for 20 min at 70 °C. The load was determined as a function of a percentage of the force at the proportional limit. The moduli of elasticity before and post-tensile creep showed no effect on the stiffness of wood at the macroscopic level, but neither were there damage to the cell structure. It can be assumed that there are changes at the microscopic level, but they are not enough to be reflected at the macro scale. It is also challenging to achieve the modifications that occur at the level of a single cell or in thin wood foils; however, the implications of this would be favorable for the development of stronger wood-based products.
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8
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Carbohydrate-aromatic interface and molecular architecture of lignocellulose. Nat Commun 2022; 13:538. [PMID: 35087039 PMCID: PMC8795156 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28165-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant cell walls constitute the majority of lignocellulosic biomass and serve as a renewable resource of biomaterials and biofuel. Extensive interactions between polysaccharides and the aromatic polymer lignin make lignocellulose recalcitrant to enzymatic hydrolysis, but this polymer network remains poorly understood. Here we interrogate the nanoscale assembly of lignocellulosic components in plant stems using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and dynamic nuclear polarization approaches. We show that the extent of glycan-aromatic association increases sequentially across grasses, hardwoods, and softwoods. Lignin principally packs with the xylan in a non-flat conformation via non-covalent interactions and partially binds the junction of flat-ribbon xylan and cellulose surface as a secondary site. All molecules are homogeneously mixed in softwoods; this unique feature enables water retention even around the hydrophobic aromatics. These findings unveil the principles of polymer interactions underlying the heterogeneous architecture of lignocellulose, which may guide the rational design of more digestible plants and more efficient biomass-conversion pathways. The plant biomass is a composite formed by a variety of polysaccharides and an aromatic polymer named lignin. Here, the authors use solid-state NMR spectroscopy to unveil the carbohydrate-aromatic interface that leads to the variable architecture of lignocellulose biomaterials.
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9
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Micro- and Nano-Scales Three-Dimensional Characterisation of Softwood. J Imaging 2021; 7:jimaging7120263. [PMID: 34940730 PMCID: PMC8703641 DOI: 10.3390/jimaging7120263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanical response of cellular biological materials to environmental stimuli is of fundamental importance from an engineering perspective in composites. To provide a deep understanding of their behaviour, an exhaustive analytical and experimental protocol is required. Attention is focused on softwood but the approach can be applied to a range of cellular materials. This work presents a new non-invasive multi-scale approach for the investigation of the hygro-mechanical behaviour of softwood. At the TOMCAT beamline of the Paul Scherrer Institute, in Switzerland, the swelling behaviour of softwood was probed at the cellular and sub-cellular scales by means of 3D high-resolution phase-contrast X-ray imaging. At the cellular scale, new findings in the anisotropic and reversible swelling behaviour of softwood and in the origin of swelling hysteresis of porous materials are explained from a mechanical perspective. However, the mechanical and moisture properties of wood highly depend on sub-cellular features of the wood cell wall, such as bordered pits, yielding local deformations during a full hygroscopic loading protocol.
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Zhang Y, Yu J, Wang X, Durachko DM, Zhang S, Cosgrove DJ. Molecular insights into the complex mechanics of plant epidermal cell walls. Science 2021; 372:706-711. [PMID: 33986175 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf2824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Plants have evolved complex nanofibril-based cell walls to meet diverse biological and physical constraints. How strength and extensibility emerge from the nanoscale-to-mesoscale organization of growing cell walls has long been unresolved. We sought to clarify the mechanical roles of cellulose and matrix polysaccharides by developing a coarse-grained model based on polymer physics that recapitulates aspects of assembly and tensile mechanics of epidermal cell walls. Simple noncovalent binding interactions in the model generate bundled cellulose networks resembling that of primary cell walls and possessing stress-dependent elasticity, stiffening, and plasticity beyond a yield threshold. Plasticity originates from fibril-fibril sliding in aligned cellulose networks. This physical model provides quantitative insight into fundamental questions of plant mechanobiology and reveals design principles of biomaterials that combine stiffness with yielding and extensibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Zhang
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Jingyi Yu
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Xuan Wang
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Daniel M Durachko
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sulin Zhang
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Daniel J Cosgrove
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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