Abstract
The DUF642 protein family is found exclusively in spermatophytes and is represented by 10 genes in Arabidopsis and in most of the 24 plant species analyzed to date. Even though the primary structure of DUF642 proteins is highly conserved in different spermatophyte species, studies of their expression patterns in Arabidopsis have shown that the spatial-temporal expression pattern for each gene is specific and consistent with the phenotypes of the mutant plants studied so far. Additionally, the regulation of DUF642 gene expression by hormones and environmental stimuli was specific for each gene, showing both up- and down-regulation depending of the analyzed tissue and the intensity or duration of the stimuli. These expression patterns suggest that the DUF642 genes are involved throughout the development and growth of plants. In general, changes in the expression patterns of DUF642 genes can be related to changes in pectin methyl esterase activity and/or to changes in the degree of methyl-esterified homogalacturonans during plant development in different cell types. Thus, the regulation of pectin methyl esterases mediated by DUF642 genes could contribute to the regulation of the cell wall properties during plant growth.
Highlights
Plant cell walls are dynamic compartments whose composition and chemical structure vary during plant development in response to environmental signals
The DUF642 proteins are highly conserved, which may be related to their specific interactions with cell wall polysaccharides and proteins in different cell types
The At3g08030-encoded protein interacts in vitro with cellulose, a polysaccharide that has an important role in plant development [9]
Summary
Plant cell walls are dynamic compartments whose composition and chemical structure vary during plant development in response to environmental signals. Primary cell wall deposition continues through cell growth and expansion It is a very complex and dynamic structure composed mainly of three types of polysaccharides: cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectins. Enzymatic activity and protein interactions respond to developmental and environmental signals and tightly regulate the complex and dynamic structure of plant cell walls. The DUF642 family was first described in apoplast proteomes of rosette leaves in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) by Boudart et al [6] and subsequently in cell wall proteomes from different tissues and plant species from both dicotyledons and monocotyledons [7,8]. No phenotypes have been established for the two Clade B genes At1g29980 and At2g34510, or the Clade D gene At5g14150
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