scholarly journals Characterization of Cellulose Synthesis in Plant Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samaneh Sadat Maleki ◽  
Kourosh Mohammadi ◽  
Kong-shu Ji

Cellulose is the most significant structural component of plant cell wall. Cellulose, polysaccharide containing repeated unbranchedβ(1-4) D-glucose units, is synthesized at the plasma membrane by the cellulose synthase complex (CSC) from bacteria to plants. The CSC is involved in biosynthesis of cellulose microfibrils containing 18 cellulose synthase (CesA) proteins. Macrofibrils can be formed with side by side arrangement of microfibrils. In addition, beside CesA, various proteins like the KORRIGAN, sucrose synthase, cytoskeletal components, and COBRA-like proteins have been involved in cellulose biosynthesis. Understanding the mechanisms of cellulose biosynthesis is of great importance not only for improving wood production in economically important forest trees to mankind but also for plant development. This review article covers the current knowledge about the cellulose biosynthesis-related gene family.

Author(s):  
Simon Turner ◽  
Manoj Kumar

Cellulose consists of linear chains of β-1,4-linked glucose units, which are synthesized by the cellulose synthase complex (CSC). In plants, these chains associate in an ordered manner to form the cellulose microfibrils. Both the CSC and the local environment in which the individual chains coalesce to form the cellulose microfibril determine the structure and the unique physical properties of the microfibril. There are several recent reviews that cover many aspects of cellulose biosynthesis, which include trafficking of the complex to the plasma membrane and the relationship between the movement of the CSC and the underlying cortical microtubules (Bringmann et al. 2012 Trends Plant Sci. 17 , 666–674 ( doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2012.06.003 ); Kumar & Turner 2015 Phytochemistry 112 , 91–99 ( doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.07.009 ); Schneider et al. 2016 Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 34 , 9–16 ( doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2016.07.007 )). In this review, we will focus on recent advances in cellulose biosynthesis in plants, with an emphasis on our current understanding of the structure of individual catalytic subunits together with the local membrane environment where cellulose synthesis occurs. We will attempt to relate this information to our current knowledge of the structure of the cellulose microfibril and propose a model in which variations in the structure of the CSC have important implications for the structure of the cellulose microfibril produced. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘New horizons for cellulose nanotechnology’.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (13) ◽  
pp. 3533-3538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Sánchez-Rodríguez ◽  
KassaDee Ketelaar ◽  
Rene Schneider ◽  
Jose A. Villalobos ◽  
Chris R. Somerville ◽  
...  

The deposition of cellulose is a defining aspect of plant growth and development, but regulation of this process is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the protein kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2), a key negative regulator of brassinosteroid (BR) signaling, can phosphorylate Arabidopsis cellulose synthase A1 (CESA1), a subunit of the primary cell wall cellulose synthase complex, and thereby negatively regulate cellulose biosynthesis. Accordingly, point mutations of the BIN2-mediated CESA1 phosphorylation site abolished BIN2-dependent regulation of cellulose synthase activity. Hence, we have uncovered a mechanism for how BR signaling can modulate cellulose synthesis in plants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (40) ◽  
pp. 11348-11353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shundai Li ◽  
Logan Bashline ◽  
Yunzhen Zheng ◽  
Xiaoran Xin ◽  
Shixin Huang ◽  
...  

Cellulose, often touted as the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, is a critical component of the plant cell wall and is synthesized by plasma membrane-spanning cellulose synthase (CESA) enzymes, which in plants are organized into rosette-like CESA complexes (CSCs). Plants construct two types of cell walls, primary cell walls (PCWs) and secondary cell walls (SCWs), which differ in composition, structure, and purpose. Cellulose in PCWs and SCWs is chemically identical but has different physical characteristics. During PCW synthesis, multiple dispersed CSCs move along a shared linear track in opposing directions while synthesizing cellulose microfibrils with low aggregation. In contrast, during SCW synthesis, we observed swaths of densely arranged CSCs that moved in the same direction along tracks while synthesizing cellulose microfibrils that became highly aggregated. Our data support a model in which distinct spatiotemporal features of active CSCs during PCW and SCW synthesis contribute to the formation of cellulose with distinct structure and organization in PCWs and SCWs of Arabidopsis thaliana. This study provides a foundation for understanding differences in the formation, structure, and organization of cellulose in PCWs and SCWs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Chen ◽  
Xin Lin ◽  
Xiyang Zhao ◽  
Su Chen

Abstract BackgroundCellulose is an essential structural component of plant cell wall and is an important resource to produce paper, textiles, bioplastics and other biomaterials. The synthesis of cellulose is among the most important but poorly understood biochemical processes, which is precisely regulated by internal and external cues.ResultsHere, we identified 46 gene models in 7 gene families which encoding cellulose synthase and related enzymes of Betula pendula, and the transcript abundance of these genes in xylem, root, leaf and flower tissues also be determined. Based on these RNA-seq data, we have identified 8 genes that most likely participate in secondary cell wall synthesis, which include 3 cellulose synthase genes and 5 cellulose synthase-like genes. In parallel, a gene co-expression network was also constructed based on transcriptome sequencing.ConclusionsIn this study, we have identified a total of 46 cell wall synthesis genes in B. pendula, which include 8 secondary cell wall synthesis genes. These analyses will help decipher the genetic information of the cell wall synthesis genes, elucidate the molecular mechanism of cellulose synthesis and understand the cell wall structure in B. pendula.


Cellulose ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paavo A. Penttilä ◽  
Michael Altgen ◽  
Nico Carl ◽  
Peter van der Linden ◽  
Isabelle Morfin ◽  
...  

Abstract Wood and other cellulosic materials are highly sensitive to changes in moisture content, which affects their use in most applications. We investigated the effects of moisture changes on the nanoscale structure of wood using X-ray and neutron scattering, complemented by dynamic vapor sorption. The studied set of samples included tension wood and normal hardwood as well as representatives of two softwood species. Their nanostructure was characterized in wet state before and after the first drying as well as at relative humidities between 15 and 90%. Small-angle neutron scattering revealed changes on the microfibril level during the first drying of wood samples, and the structure was not fully recovered by immersing the samples back in liquid water. Small and wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements from wood samples at various humidity conditions showed moisture-dependent changes in the packing distance and the inner structure of the microfibrils, which were correlated with the actual moisture content of the samples at each condition. In particular, the results implied that the degree of crystalline order in the cellulose microfibrils was higher in the presence of water than in the absence of it. The moisture-related changes observed in the wood nanostructure depended on the type of wood and were discussed in relation to the current knowledge on the plant cell wall structure. Graphic abstract


Plants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cao ◽  
Cheng ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Aslam ◽  
Yan ◽  
...  

The cellulose synthase (Ces) and cellulose synthase-like (Csl) gene families belonging to the cellulose synthase gene superfamily, are responsible for the biosynthesis of cellulose and hemicellulose of the plant cell wall, and play critical roles in plant development, growth and evolution. However, the Ces/Csl gene family remains to be characterized in pineapple, a highly valued and delicious tropical fruit. Here, we carried out genome-wide study and identified a total of seven Ces genes and 25 Csl genes in pineapple. Genomic features and phylogeny analysis of Ces/Csl genes were carried out, including phylogenetic tree, chromosomal locations, gene structures, and conserved motifs identification. In addition, we identified 32 pineapple AcoCes/Csl genes with 31 Arabidopsis AtCes/Csl genes as orthologs by the syntenic and phylogenetic approaches. Furthermore, a RNA-seq investigation exhibited the expression profile of several AcoCes/Csl genes in various tissues and multiple developmental stages. Collectively, we provided comprehensive information of the evolution and function of pineapple Ces/Csl gene superfamily, which would be useful for screening out and characterization of the putative genes responsible for tissue development in pineapple. The present study laid the foundation for future functional characterization of Ces/Csl genes in pineapple.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 4335
Author(s):  
Gerasimos Daras ◽  
Dimitris Templalexis ◽  
Fengoula Avgeri ◽  
Dikran Tsitsekian ◽  
Konstantina Karamanou ◽  
...  

The wall is the last frontier of a plant cell involved in modulating growth, development and defense against biotic stresses. Cellulose and additional polysaccharides of plant cell walls are the most abundant biopolymers on earth, having increased in economic value and thereby attracted significant interest in biotechnology. Cellulose biosynthesis constitutes a highly complicated process relying on the formation of cellulose synthase complexes. Cellulose synthase (CesA) and Cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes encode enzymes that synthesize cellulose and most hemicellulosic polysaccharides. Arabidopsis and rice are invaluable genetic models and reliable representatives of land plants to comprehend cell wall synthesis. During the past two decades, enormous research progress has been made to understand the mechanisms of cellulose synthesis and construction of the plant cell wall. A plethora of cesa and csl mutants have been characterized, providing functional insights into individual protein isoforms. Recent structural studies have uncovered the mode of CesA assembly and the dynamics of cellulose production. Genetics and structural biology have generated new knowledge and have accelerated the pace of discovery in this field, ultimately opening perspectives towards cellulose synthesis manipulation. This review provides an overview of the major breakthroughs gathering previous and recent genetic and structural advancements, focusing on the function of CesA and Csl catalytic domain in plants.


2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Kudlicka ◽  
R. M. Brown, Jr

Knowledge of the control and regulation of cellulose synthesis is fundamental to an understanding of plant development since cellulose is the primary structural component of plant cell walls. <em>In vivo</em>, the polymerization step requires a coordinated transport of substrates across membranes and relies on delicate orientations of the membrane-associated synthase complexes. Little is known about the properties of the enzyme complexes, and many questions about the biosynthesis of cell wall components at the cell surface still remain unanswered. Attempts to purify cellulose synthase from higher plants have not been successful because of the liability of enzymes upon isolation and lack of reliable <em>in vitro</em> assays. Membrane preparations from higher plant cells incorporate UDP-glucose into a glucan polymer, but this invariably turns out to be predominantly β -1,3-linked rather than β -1,4-linked glucans. Various hypotheses have been advanced to explain this phenomenon. One idea is that callose and cellulose-synthase systems are the same, but cell disruption activates callose synthesis preferentially. A second concept suggests that a regulatory protein as a part of the cellulose-synthase complex is rapidly degraded upon cell disruption. With new methods of enzyme isolation and analysis of the <em>in vitro</em> product, recent advances have been made in the isolation of an active synthase from the plasma membrane whereby cellulose synthase was separated from callose synthase.


Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 369 (6507) ◽  
pp. 1089-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallinti Purushotham ◽  
Ruoya Ho ◽  
Jochen Zimmer

Cellulose is an essential plant cell wall component and represents the most abundant biopolymer on Earth. Supramolecular plant cellulose synthase complexes organize multiple linear glucose polymers into microfibrils as load-bearing wall components. We determined the structure of a poplar cellulose synthase CesA homotrimer that suggests a molecular basis for cellulose microfibril formation. This complex, stabilized by cytosolic plant-conserved regions and helical exchange within the transmembrane segments, forms three channels occupied by nascent cellulose polymers. Secretion steers the polymers toward a common exit point, which could facilitate protofibril formation. CesA’s N-terminal domains assemble into a cytosolic stalk that interacts with a microtubule-tethering protein and may thus be involved in CesA localization. Our data suggest how cellulose synthase complexes assemble and provide the molecular basis for plant cell wall engineering.


Bioethanol ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chhandak Basu ◽  
Nirmal Joshee ◽  
Tigran Gezalian ◽  
Brajesh Nanda Vaidya ◽  
Asada Satidkit ◽  
...  

AbstractPaulownia elongata is a short-rotation fast growing tree and is known for high biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration potential. Optimization of protocols for nucleic acid extraction, PCR, RT-PCR, and other molecular biology techniques are required for better understanding of cellulose synthesis and to assess the potential of Paulownia as a biofuel tree. The main objective of this work was to study a putative cellulose synthase amplicon expression under various environmental conditions and evaluate the potentials of Paulownia as a biofuel tree. Using cross-species PCR an amplicon representative of a putative cellulose synthase gene from Paulownia was identified. This 177-bp long DNA sequence was 46% similar with cellulose synthase genes from Arabidopsis as expected. Gene specific primers for this particular Paulownia cellulose synthase gene were designed and reverse transcription PCR was performed to confirm its transcription. We report an inexpensive cDNA dot-blot method to study expression of this gene under various environmental conditions. We observed that cold and, to a lesser extent, heat stress downregulated its expression. This information will help to understand cellulose deposition in plant cell wall under stressful conditions. To the best of our knowledge this is the first characterization of a cDNA sequence from Paulownia elongata.


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