An experimental-simulation approach to intercellular adhesion in Arabidopsis thaliana

A quantification method to study material properties of pectin-enriched layers in wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana leaves is proposed here. In this paper, the mechanical and adhesive properties of this layer were investigated by measuring the response of deep needle insertion into the pectin-enriched areas of live leaf samples in WT Arabidopsis thaliana using two different conical probes. One was a commercial diamond tip with a radius of 5 μm, while the other was a sharp tungsten tip with a radius of 110 nm. The process was then modeled in ABAQUS using a cohesive zone model (CZM), which allowed the Young's modulus and fracture toughness to be quantified. Pectin exhibits a very low fracture toughness (<1.5 J/m²), yet it remains sufficient to maintain cell adhesion. The proposed method enables quantitative characterization of pectin properties across different mutants and developmental stages, offering new mechanistic insight into the role of pectin in morphogenesis.