Pectin Dependent Cell Adhesion Restored by a Mutant Microtubule Organizing Membrane Protein

The cellulose- and pectin-rich plant cell wall defines cell structure, mediates defense against pathogens, and facilitates plant cell adhesion. An adhesion mutant screen of Arabidopsis hypocotyls identified a new allele of QUASIMODO2 (QUA2), a gene required for pectin accumulation and whose mutants have reduced pectin content and adhesion defects. A suppressor of qua2 was also isolated and describes a null allele of SABRE (SAB), which encodes a previously described plasma membrane protein required for longitudinal cellular expansion that organizes the tubulin cytoskeleton. sab mutants have increased pectin content, increased levels of expression of pectin methylesterases and extensins, and reduced cell surface area relative to qua2 and Wild Type, contributing to a restoration of cell adhesion.