Abstract
The properties of (1,3)-β-glucans (i.e., callose) remain largely unknown despite their importance in plant development and defence. Here we use mixtures of (1,3)-β-glucan and cellulose, in ionic liquid solution and hydrogels, as proxies to understand the physico-mechanical properties of callose. We show that after callose addition the stiffness of cellulose hydrogels is reduced at a greater extent than predicted from the ideal mixing rule (i.e., the weighted average of the individual components’ properties). In contrast, yield behaviour after the elastic limit is more ductile in cellulose-callose hydrogels compared with sudden failure in 100% cellulose hydrogels. The viscoelastic behaviour and the diffusion of the ions in mixed ionic liquid solutions strongly indicate interactions between the polymers. Fourier-transform infrared analysis suggests that these interactions impact cellulose organisation in hydrogels and cell walls. We conclude that polymer interactions alter the properties of callose-cellulose mixtures beyond what it is expected by ideal mixing.
Highlights
The properties of (1,3)-β-glucans remain largely unknown despite their importance in plant development and defence
To gain insight into how callose modulates the physico-mechanical properties of plant cell walls, we used a simplified model of composite hydrogels, as reported elsewhere[35]
The samples were made with different proportions of commercial microcrystalline cellulose and the callose analogue Pachyman dissolved in the ionic liquid [C2mim][OAc] and coagulated in water
Summary
The properties of (1,3)-β-glucans (i.e., callose) remain largely unknown despite their importance in plant development and defence. The results unveil molecular interactions between cellulose and callose in both the liquid solution and in hydrogels, forming systems with dynamics and mechanical properties that are not adequately described by a simple ideal mixing rule, i.e., the mixtures properties are not just the weighted average of the individual component properties.
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