Cellulose assembles into helical bundles of uniform handedness in cell walls with abnormal pectin composition.

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 hel

SUBMITTER: Saffer AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10592269 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature