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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Measuring Plant Cell Wall Extension Creep Induced by Acidic pH and by Alpha-Expansin
Published on: March 11, 2009
Differential growth regulation in plants--the acid growth balloon theory
Kai Dünser1, Jürgen Kleine-Vehn1
1Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria.
Abstract:
'To grow or not to grow' is a central question in developmental biology and is nowadays tackled wonderfully by cell-biological approaches in various species. The rigid plant cell wall is a neat evolutionary invention for sessile organisms, which require form stability in the face of an ever-changing natural environment. However, this cellular packaging places special constrains on mechanisms that guide cellular growth. Considering the largely non-reversible, man-made environmental changes and our dependency on plant products, further insights into plant-specific growth regulation are highly desirable. Here we provide our personal, current view on cellular growth regulation in plants, highlighting the mutual importance of extra- and intracellular processes.
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