Biochemical Society Transactions · 2002 · 40 citations · 2 references
Life SciencesPlant BiologyPlant SciencesPlant BiochemistryPlant GeneticsPlant Molecular BiologyCell Wall BiochemistryCell Wall BiosynthesisCell Wall StructurePlant Cell Wall PolysaccharidesPlant CellsPlant EnzymesCell Wall Polysaccharide BiosynthesisCellulose Synthase Gene FamiliesInsertionsPhenotypic Characterization Of MutantsPlant Cell Wall BiosynthesisPlant Cell Wall CelluloseSpectroscopic CharacterizationXyloglucan Biosynthesis
The plant cell wall is a complex structure consisting of a variety of polymers including cellulose, xyloglucan, xylan and polygalacturonan. Biochemical and genetic analysis has made it possible to clone genes encoding cellulose synthases (CesA). A comparison of the predicted protein sequences in the Arabidopsis genome indicates that 30 divergent genes with similarity to CesAs exist. It is possible that these cellulose synthase-like (Csl) proteins do not contribute to cellulose synthesis, but rather to the synthesis of other wall polymers. A major challenge is, therefore, to assign biological function to these genes. In an effort to address this issue we have systematically identified T-DNA or transposon insertions in 17 Arabidopsis Csls. Phenotypic characterization of "knock-out" mutants includes the determination of spectroscopic profile differences in mutant cell walls from wild-type plants by Fourier-transform IR microscopy. A more precise characterization includes cell wall fractionation followed by neutral sugar composition analysis by anionic exchange chromatography.
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