In the primary cell wall of land plants, cellulose is synthesized as 3-nm fibrils that are extruded from mobile synthase complexes embedded in the plasma membrane and that interact with other cellulose fibrils and with matrix polymers to form a strong network that is capable of surface expansion, allowing for cell growth. The load-bearing network is often illustrated as a scaffold of cellulose fibrils coated with extended chains of xyloglucan, which tether adjacent fibrils together and simultaneously prevent direct surface contact between cellulose fibrils. This model, or cartoon, makes certain predictions about the morphology and the nm-scale motions of the cellulose fibrillar network and its response to mechanical forces and to enzymatic digestion. We will show results, based on atomic force microscopy, enzyme treatments, and biomechanical assays, that call for a different cell wall architecture.

Re-envisioning cellulose-matrix interactions in growing plant cell walls

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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