Cell wall-related glycosyltransferases and wall architecture in the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha has emerged as an important plant model for developmental studies and may become central to elucidate the complex process of cell wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. This study comprehensively analyses the composition and structure of cell wall glycans across eight different M. polymorpha tissue types. We show that while the cell walls largely mirror known land plant cell wall composition, they also exhibit some unique characteristics. For example, M. polymorpha cell walls displayed a remarkably low overall pectin content, yet the relative abundance of pectic α-(1,5)-arabinan in sporophytes hints at its putative role in the evolution and complexity of spermatophyte cell walls. Furthermore, through comparative analyses of glycosyltransferase (GT) families across plant species, we found that while M. polymorpha generally has low genetic redundancy in most cell wall-related GT families, it also exhibits a diversified GT repertoire in four families, indicating uniqueness in certain cell wall biosynthesis pathways. To support research underpinning cell wall biosynthesis, we developed a Gateway compatible compendium of 87 M. polymorpha GTs, providing a valuable resource for genetic and functional studies. Our study thus works as a foundation to drive new insights into cell wall evolution, structure and function across the plant kingdom.