The pattern of xylan acetylation suggests xylan may interact with cellulose microfibrils as a twofold helical screw in the secondary plant cell wall of Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: The interaction between xylan and cellulose microfibrils is important for secondary cell wall properties in vascular plants; however, the molecular arrangement of xylan in the cell wall and the nature of the molecular bonding between the polysaccharides are unknown. In dicots, the xylan backbone of β-(1,4)-linked xylosyl residues is decorated by occasional glucuronic acid, and approximately one-half of the xylosyl residues are O-acetylated at C-2 or C-3. We recently proposed that the even, periodic spacing of GlcA residues in the major domain of dicot xylan might allow the xylan backbone to fold as a twofold helical screw to facilitate alignment along, and stable interaction with, cellulose fibrils; however, such an interaction might be adversely impacted by random acetylation of the xylan

SUBMITTER: Busse-Wicher M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4140553 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature