Abstract
Nutrients are critical for plants to grow and develop, and nutrient depletion severely affects crop yield. In order to optimize nutrient acquisition, plants adapt their growth and root architecture. Changes in growth are determined by modifications in the cell walls surrounding every plant cell. The plant cell wall, which is largely composed of complex polysaccharides, is essential for plants to attain their shape and to protect cells against the environment. Within the cell wall, cellulose strands form microfibrils that act as a framework for other wall components, including hemicelluloses, pectins, proteins, and, in some cases, callose, lignin, and suberin. Cell wall composition varies, depending on cell and tissue type. It is governed by synthesis, deposition and remodeling of wall components, and determines the physical and structural properties of the cell wall. How nutrient status affects cell wall synthesis and organization, and thus plant growth and morphology, remains poorly understood. In this review, we aim to summarize and synthesize research on the adaptation of root cell walls in response to nutrient availability and the potential role of cell walls in nutrient sensing.
Highlights
Plants are the primary producers on earth, accounting for 80% of all living biomass, and provide us with food, feed, and shelter [1]
This results in the production of free carboxylic groups, which drastically alters the physical properties of pectins, where low levels of methyl-esterified pectins are typically associated with decreased cell wall extensibility and growth inhibition [41]
Composition, and remodeling is crucial for the meticulous modulation of root system architecture (RSA) in response to nutrient imbalance
Summary
Plants are the primary producers on earth, accounting for 80% of all living biomass, and provide us with food, feed, and shelter [1]. Cell division and cell elongation are the major factors that drive growth and morphology in plants. Plant cells are surrounded by a protective and supportive structure, referred to as the cell wall, which contributes the bulk of a plant’s biomass. Dynamic remodeling of this structure is crucial for plant cells to divide and elongate [7,8]. Because the cell wall dictates cell and tissue morphology, and as nutrient availability drives changes in plant growth, it follows that changes to the cell wall structure should, indirectly or directly, be controlled by the nutrients available to the plant. Examples presented are from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis)
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