Dual functions of Expansin in cell wall extension and compression during cotton fiber development

Abstract

Cotton fiber provides a distinct picture of cell wall synthesis. It is an epidermal single-cell extension of Cotton plant seed and undergoes three main stages of development, (1) initiation, (2) elongation and (3) maturation. The fiber initiation characterized by thin primary cell wall formation, which is extended afterward by the action of specific non-enzymatic proteins called Expansins, which promote expansion between cellulose microfibrils by cutting the bridges between cellulose and Hemicellulose residues. The elongation phase followed by a compression phase where the secondary cell wall becomes compact and thickened by the deposition of polysaccharides. The fiber development eventually ends up in the maturation phase, attaining the final maximum length of ∼2.5–3.0 cm. However, the most critical periods of Cotton fiber development are cell wall extension and cellulose deposition. Many studies have focused on the role of Expansins in cell wall elongation, but the significance of expansins in cellulose deposition of the secondary cell wall has barely studied to date. This paper, therefore, is a brief review, which will emphasize the role of Expansin in both cell wall extensibility and polysaccharide deposition during the compression phase. However, the versatile role of Expansin proteins in cellulose deposition and cell wall elongation need a more critical experimental approach.