The interaction between PCW components plays an important role in cell biosynthesis and growth. The first step of PCW constitution is the deposition of cellulose microfibrils on the surface of a lipid membrane where cellulose is the main load-bearing component of this natural composite material. Understanding these interactions is important for deconstructing cell walls for biofuel production and for developing new strategies to design biomimetic constructs, which can serve as simplified PCW models. We have investigated the interaction of DOPC vesicles with rod-like cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as cell wall model systems, using several complementary techniques. Dynamic light scattering, zeta-potential, cryo-transmission electron microscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analyses confirmed the formation of pH-dependent CNC-liposome complexes. ITC was used to characterize the thermodynamic properties of this interaction. Understanding the conditions in which such assemblies interact will pave the way for the creation of new materials inspired by the plant cell wall.

Investigating the interaction of cellulose with lipid membranes

255th National Meeting (2018)

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