Abstract
Plant cell wall (CW) is a complex and intricate structure that performs several functions throughout the plant life cycle. The CW of plants is critical to the maintenance of cells’ structural integrity by resisting internal hydrostatic pressures, providing flexibility to support cell division and expansion during tissue differentiation, and acting as an environmental barrier that protects the cells in response to abiotic stress. Plant CW, comprised primarily of polysaccharides, represents the largest sink for photosynthetically fixed carbon, both in plants and in the biosphere. The CW structure is highly varied, not only between plant species but also among different organs, tissues, and cell types in the same organism. During the developmental processes, the main CW components, i.e., cellulose, pectins, hemicelluloses, and different types of CW-glycoproteins, interact constantly with each other and with the environment to maintain cell homeostasis. Differentiation processes are altered by positional effect and are also tightly linked to environmental changes, affecting CW both at the molecular and biochemical levels. The negative effect of climate change on the environment is multifaceted, from high temperatures, altered concentrations of greenhouse gases such as increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, soil salinity, and drought, to increasing frequency of extreme weather events taking place concomitantly, therefore, climate change affects crop productivity in multiple ways. Rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is expected to increase photosynthetic rates, especially at high temperatures and under water-limited conditions. This review aims to synthesize current knowledge regarding the effects of climate change on CW biogenesis and modification. We discuss specific cases in crops of interest carrying cell wall modifications that enhance tolerance to climate change-related stresses; from cereals such as rice, wheat, barley, or maize to dicots of interest such as brassica oilseed, cotton, soybean, tomato, or potato. This information could be used for the rational design of genetic engineering traits that aim to increase the stress tolerance in key crops. Future growing conditions expose plants to variable and extreme climate change factors, which negatively impact global agriculture, and therefore further research in this area is critical.
Highlights
The Earth is getting warmer and extreme climatic events are becoming more frequent
Because the majority of the non-glucosyl sugars of the cell wall (CW) are derived from the interconversion of uridine diphosphate glucose (UDP-Glc) beginning with the activity of UDP-Glc dehydrogenase, regulation of this activity could be critical in the synthesis of xyloglucan and other growth relevant matrix polysaccharides
In order to predict how plant physiology responds to changing climate, both structural and functional components, such as CW properties, plant metabolism, leaf size, and photosynthesis have to be coordinated for proper C assimilation and incorporation into a functional response model (Figure 1)
Summary
The Earth is getting warmer and extreme climatic events are becoming more frequent. Heavy rainfalls followed by prolonged periods of drought have led to accelerated evaporation of soil moisture. CO2 constitutes one of the main greenhouse gases, as it is able to intercept the infrared radiation reflected from the planet’s surface following solar radiation. This effect increases the atmospheric temperature in a similar way that a greenhouse functions. Global warming has a direct impact on plants and biodiversity [3,4]. That shapes the overall form, growth, and development. CO2 fixation by plants counteracts the greenhouse effect but the key question is whether it is sufficient to control the overall global warming
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