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Related Concept Videos

Cellulose and Pectic Polysaccharides01:15

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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...
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Cell division is essential for organismal growth and development. In animal cells, the central spindle and its associated proteins form the midbody, a structure that has an essential role in cytokinesis. In plants, the central spindle, along with the microtubules, actin, and other cell components, matures into the phragmoplast, which is necessary for cytokinesis. Unlike the stationary midbody, the phragmoplast expands centrifugally, eventually leading to the formation of the new cell wall.
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Protein glycosylation starts in the ER lumen and continues in the Golgi apparatus. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins. Usually, these enzymes add sugars to the hydroxyl groups of selected serine or threonine residues to form O-linked glycans or the amino groups of asparagine residues to form N-linked glycans. Different positions on the same polypeptide chain can contain differently linked glycans.
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Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Preparation of Fungal and Plant Materials for Structural Elucidation Using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Solid-State NMR
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How Many Glucan Chains Form Plant Cellulose Microfibrils? A Mini Review.

Daniel J Cosgrove1, Paul Dupree2, Enrique D Gomez1

  • 1Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.

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|August 29, 2024
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Determining the number of glucan chains in cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) is key for plant cell wall understanding. Current methods suggest an 18-chain model, but conclusive proof is still needed.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) are fundamental components of plant cell walls.
  • Understanding CMF structure, specifically the number of glucan chains, is vital for elucidating their properties and interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and critically assess experimental techniques used to determine the number of glucan chains in CMFs.
  • To highlight the conclusions and limitations of each method.

Main Methods:

  • Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS).
  • Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
  • Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM).

Main Results:

  • SAXS/SANS data predominantly suggest an 18-chain model for CMFs, though complicated by fibril aggregation and matrix associations.
  • Solid-state NMR can estimate CMF width but faces challenges in assigning spectral peaks to interior vs. surface chains.
  • FF-TEM images of cellulose synthase complexes support an 18-chain synthesis model.

Conclusions:

  • While multiple techniques point towards an 18-chain model for CMFs, the exact number of glucan chains remains experimentally unconfirmed.
  • Further research is needed to definitively establish the glucan chain number in CMFs.