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Abstract
Plant cells are surrounded by the primary cell wall, a rigid framework that needs to be modified in order to allow cell growth. Recent data suggest that in addition to the cellulose-hemicellulose network, the pectin matrix plays a critical role in determining the elasticity of the primary cell wall. Polygalacturonases are key homogalacturonan-hydrolyzing enzymes that function in a wide range of developmental processes. In this review, we present recent progress in understanding the role of polygalacturonases during cell elongation and separation. In discussing the specificities and possible redundancies of polygalacturonases, we focus particularly on newly discovered Arabidopsis mutants that have measurable loss-of-function phenotypes. However, data from other species are included when necessary.
Highlights
In plants, cells are surrounded by a rigid cell wall and are, fixed in their relative position.As a consequence, the overall shape of the plant body is created by a tightly controlled interplay of cell division and anisotropic cell expansion
Secondary cell-wall material can fortify cell walls after cell elongation has ceased but it is the primary cell wall of meristematic and elongating cells that needs to be modified to control the shape of the plant body [3]
The typical primary cell wall is a complex matrix composed of polysaccharides, a variety of proteins, and phenolics with cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectin almost representing the main polysaccharide content [4]
Summary
Cells are surrounded by a rigid cell wall and are, fixed in their relative position. Hemicelluloses are thought to cross-link cellulose microfibrils, thereby creating a rigid network while at the same time enforcing certain spacing between microfibrils to adjust primary cell wall flexibility [1,6] In this view, the cellulose-xyloglucan network is the main structural component with load-bearing properties while pectin acts as filler matrix similar to composite materials of fiber-reinforced polymers. The cellulose-xyloglucan network is the main structural component with load-bearing properties while pectin acts as filler matrix similar to composite materials of fiber-reinforced polymers The extensibility of this network is modified by wall-loosening expansins, which are thought to act on the non-covalent interactions between cellulose microfibrils, as well as XG endo-transglycosylases [1]. A more detailed description of pectin biosynthesis and structure as well as its modifications during cell growth can be found in the following comprehensive reviews [11,12,15,16,17]
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