CELLULOSE BIOSYNTHESIS: Exciting Times for A Difficult Field of Study

Delmer, Deborah P.

doi:10.1146/annurev.arplant.50.1.245

Cited by 590 publications

(538 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…The existence of homologous ESTs in the moss P. patens indicates that this gene family already existed in lower plants. It would also be interesting to determine whether nonplant cellulose-synthesizing organisms such as the bacteria Acetobacter xylinum or the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum (Delmer, 1999) contain COBrelated genes.…”

Section: Cob and Its Arabidopsis Homologs Define A New Gene Family Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COBRA Family of Putative GPI-Anchored Proteins in Arabidopsis. A New Fellowship in Expansion

et al. 2002

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Identification of regulatory molecules that determine the extent and direction of expansion is necessary to understand how cell morphogenesis is controlled in plants. We recently identified COB (COBRA) as a key regulator of the orientation of cell expansion in the root. Analysis of the Arabidopsis genome sequence indicated that COB belongs to a multigene family consisting of 12 members, all predicted to encode glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. All but two of the COBL (COB-like) genes are expressed in most organs examined, suggesting possible redundancy. Sequence comparisons, phylogenetic analyses, and exon-intron positions revealed that the COB family is composed of two main subgroups sharing a common architecture, one subgroup being characterized by an additional N-terminal domain. Identification of expressed sequence tags corresponding to potential orthologs in other plant species suggested that COB-related functions are required in all vascular plants. Together, these results indicate that COB family members are likely to be important new players at the plasma membrane-cell wall interface.Cell morphogenesis is heavily influenced and restricted by the presence of an extracellular network of carbohydrates and proteins, the cell wall. Far from being an inert and stable exoskeleton, the primary wall is a highly dynamic extracellular matrix characterized by plastic, elastic, and viscous physical properties. These properties are conferred by the nature of the different constituent polymers, a load-bearing cellulose/xyloglucan (hemicellulose) array, and a compression-resistant pectin gel (Roberts, 1994). The developmental regulation of cell wall dynamics required for cell expansion and cell shape modeling must be directed by proteins capable of organizing, loosening, and rearranging the different polysaccharide networks and incorporating newly synthesized material. More than 17% of Arabidopsis genes contain a signal peptide sequence and over 400 proteins are annotated as being localized in the cell wall (Arabidopsis Genome Initiative [AGI], 2000), suggesting the possibility that more than 1,000 genes are implicated in wall biogenesis and modification .Proteins localized to the cell wall, such as the Hyp-, Pro-, or Gly-rich proteins, arabinogalactan proteins, and expansins, were originally identified through assays for biochemical and/or biophysical activities. More recently, forward and reverse genetic approaches have led to the identification of new classes of cell wall modifiers such as cellulose synthases (Arioli et al., 1998; Fagard et al., 2000), endo-␤-1,4-glucanases (Nicol et al., 1998), and wall-associated kinases (Kohorn, 2001). By analyzing Arabidopsis mutants exhibiting abnormal cell expansion during root development (Benfey et al., 1993;Hauser et al., 1995), COBRA was identified as an essential player in the regulation of the orientation of cell expansion (Schindelman et al., 2001). Reduced levels of crystalline cellulose microfibrils in the mutant suggested a role for COBRA in cellulose de...

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Section: Cob and Its Arabidopsis Homologs Define A New Gene Family Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COBRA Family of Putative GPI-Anchored Proteins in Arabidopsis. A New Fellowship in Expansion

et al. 2002

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“…The dimer, two glucose residues β(1-4)-linked, called cellobiose is the structural repetitive unit of the cellulose chain. The degree of polymerization is determined by the number of monomers which compose each cellulose chain (Brown et al, 1996;Delmer, 1999). Two different ending groups are found in each cellulose chain edge (Figure 1).…”

Section: Molecular and Supramolecular Features Of Cellulosementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is 25-30 nm in diameter (Mueller and Brown, 1980;Delmer, 1999). Each subunit of CelS has six CESA isoforms which produce six glucan chains (Brown and Saxena, 2000).…”

Section: Cellulose Synthase Complex (Cels)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These models are based on the hypothesis that one elementary fibril is composed of 36 glucose chains, which are synthesized by 36 CESA isoforms arranged in a planar configuration in the plasma membrane (Delmer, 1999;Kimura et al, 1999;Scheible et al, 2001). The number of CESA isoforms and the type of interactions among them are the distinctive features of each model.…”

Section: Cellulose Synthase Complex (Cels)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Arabidopsis thaliana has at least ten CesAs which are denominated AtCesA1-10 (Richmond and Somerville, 2000), following the proposed nomenclature for the genes involved in cellulose synthesis (Delmer, 1999). Nine CesA genes were identified in maize (Holland et al, 2000).…”

Section: Structural Features Of Cesa Proteinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Structure, organization, and functions of cellulose synthase complexes in higher plants

Festucci-Buselli

Otoni

Joshi

2007

Braz. J. Plant Physiol.

117

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Annually, plants produce about 180 billion tons of cellulose making it the largest reservoir of organic carbon on Earth. Cellulose is a linear homopolymer of beta(1-4)-linked glucose residues. The coordinated synthesis of glucose chains is orchestrated by specific plasma membrane-bound cellulose synthase complexes (CelS). The CelS is postulated to be composed of approximately 36 cellulose synthase (CESA) subunits. The CelS synthesizes 36 glucose chains in close proximity before they are further organized into microfibrils that are further associated with other cell wall polymers. The 36 glucose chains in a microfibril are stabilized by intra- and inter-hydrogen bonding which confer great stability on microfibrils. Several elementary microfibrils come together to form macrofibrils. Many CESA isoforms appear to be involved in the cellulose biosynthetic process and at least three types of CESA isoforms appear to be necessary for the functional organization of CelS in higher plants.

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Forestry

Cooke¹,

Morse²,

Davis³

2004

Handbook of Plant Biotechnology

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Genetic improvement plays a pivotal role in intensive management strategies for forest trees. Conventional breeding in forest trees is greatly constrained by long generation times. This is particularly true for temperate coniferous species, which rank among the most commercially important forest trees. In Aadditionally, many traits of interest exhibit poor correlation between the juvenile and mature phases of growth that are innate to trees. Consequently, these traits cannot be reliably evaluated at the morphological level until the tree has entered into mature growth, which may take several years. Given these constraints to conventional breeding, the use of biotechnology to reduce the time to create and select genetically improved trees could have a significant impact on forest tree improvement and the forest industry. In this chapter, we focus on how biotechnology has been and can be incorporated into forestry.

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CELLULOSE BIOSYNTHESIS: Exciting Times for A Difficult Field of Study

Cited by 590 publications

References 126 publications

The COBRA Family of Putative GPI-Anchored Proteins in Arabidopsis. A New Fellowship in Expansion

The COBRA Family of Putative GPI-Anchored Proteins in Arabidopsis. A New Fellowship in Expansion

Structure, organization, and functions of cellulose synthase complexes in higher plants

Forestry

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