Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026
12:30
Glycan Profiling of Plant Cell Wall Polymers using Microarrays
Published on: December 17, 2012
Unique aspects of the grass cell wall.
1USDA Western Regional Research Center, Albany, CA 94710, USA. john.vogel@ars.usda.gov
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|April 25, 2008
Summary
Grass cell walls are unique due to specific polysaccharides and compounds. Researchers identified cellulose synthase like F (CslF) genes as key to producing unique mixed-linkage glucans in grasses.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Biochemistry
- Crop science
Background:
- Grasses are vital global crops, with cell wall composition impacting their use for food, feed, and energy.
- Grass cell walls significantly differ from dicot cell walls in polysaccharide composition, linkages, and non-carbohydrate components like pectins, proteins, and phenolics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the unique cell wall components of grasses.
- To characterize the role of specific gene families in grass cell wall biosynthesis.
Main Methods:
- Genomic resource analysis in various plant species.
- Characterization of cellulose synthase like (Csl) gene families, particularly CslF.
Main Results:
- Identification of Csl gene families unique to grasses.
- Demonstration that CslF gene family members synthesize mixed-linkage glucans, a hallmark of Poales cell walls.
Conclusions:
- The CslF gene family is crucial for synthesizing unique mixed-linkage glucans in grasses.
- Understanding these unique cell wall components can enhance the utilization of grasses as crops.
More Related Videos
09:27High Resolution Quantification of Crystalline Cellulose Accumulation in Arabidopsis Roots to Monitor Tissue-specific Cell Wall Modifications
Published on: May 10, 2016
09:37Preparation of Fungal and Plant Materials for Structural Elucidation Using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Solid-State NMR
Published on: February 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
02:43Plant Cell Wall
The plant cell wall gives plant cells shape, support, and protection. As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to the cell type. For example, the parenchyma cells of leaves possess only a thin, primary cell wall.Collenchyma and sclerenchyma cells, on the other hand, mainly occur in the outer layers of a plant's stems and leaves. These cells provide the plant with strength and support by either partially thickening their primary cell wall (i.e., collenchyma), or depositing a...
01:07Plant Cell Wall
Plant cells have a cell wall, a rigid outer covering that protects the cell and provides shape and support. During cell division, a mixture of enzymes, proteins, and glucose molecules is transported via vesicles to the center of the cell. These vesicles continuously fuse and build a cell plate between the dividing cells. As the cell plate matures, new polysaccharides are added to it to form the cell walls of the daughter cells. The predominant polysaccharide in the cell wall is cellulose, made...
01:15Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides
Every plant cell has a cell wall that protects the cell, provides structural support, and gives the cell shape. Cellulose, the main structural component of the plant cell wall, makes up over 30% of plant matter. It is the most abundant organic compound on earth. Cellulose is an unbranched polysaccharide composed of linear chains of glucose molecules linked by β (1→4) glycosidic bonds.
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the parenchyma cells of...
As a cell matures, its cell wall specializes according to its type. For example, the parenchyma cells of...
01:14Cell Adhesion in Plants
Plants have rigid cell walls that are made up of cell wall polysaccharides that mediate cell-cell adhesion. The primary cell walls of plants consist of two independent and interacting polysaccharide networks: a pectin matrix that embeds the second network comprising cellulose and hemicelluloses.
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose, and...
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose, and...
01:02Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
Microtubules are small hollow tubes in eukaryotic cells. The cell wall microtubules are polymerized dimers of two globular proteins, α-tubulin and β-tubulin, two globular proteins. With a diameter of about 25 nm, microtubules are the widest components of the cytoskeleton. They help the cell resist compression and provide a track along which vesicles move through the cell or pull replicated chromosomes to opposite ends of a dividing cell. Microtubules go through quick cycles of disassembly and...
01:29Archaeal Cell Wall
Archaeal cell walls are structurally and compositionally distinct from their bacterial counterparts, lacking the characteristic peptidoglycan layer found in most bacteria. Instead, archaeal cell walls exhibit remarkable diversity, utilizing materials such as pseudomurein, polysaccharides, and proteins to construct their protective outer layers. This structural flexibility is closely tied to archaea's ecological adaptability.S-Layers: The Common Archaeal Cell WallThe S-layer is the most...