Overexpression of a pectin methylesterase inhibitor in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to altered growth morphology of the stem and defective organ separation.

The methylesterification status of cell wall pectins, mediated through the interplay of pectin methylesterases (PMEs) and pectin methylesterase inhibitors (PMEIs), influences the biophysical properties of plant cell walls. We found that the overexpression of a PMEI gene in Arabidopsis thaliana plants caused the stems to develop twists and loops, most strongly around points on the stem where leaves or inflorescences failed to separate from the main stem. Altered elasticity of the stem, underdevelopment of the leaf cuticle, and changes in the sugar composition of the cell walls of stems were evident in the PMEI overexpression lines.

Mechanical modelling quantifies the functional importance of outer tissue layers during root elongation and bending.

Root elongation and bending require the coordinated expansion of multiple cells of different types. These processes are regulated by the action of hormones that can target distinct cell layers. We use a mathematical model to characterise the influence of the biomechanical properties of individual cell walls on the properties of the whole tissue.

How cellulose stretches: synergism between covalent and hydrogen bonding.

Cellulose is the most familiar and most abundant strong biopolymer, but the reasons for its outstanding mechanical performance are not well understood. Each glucose unit in a cellulose chain is joined to the next by a covalent C-O-C linkage flanked by two hydrogen bonds. This geometry suggests some form of cooperativity between covalent and hydrogen bonding.

Mechanical properties of epidermal cells of whole living roots of Arabidopsis thaliana: an atomic force microscopy study.

The knowledge of mechanical properties of root cell walls is vital to understand how these properties interact with relevant genetic and physiological processes to bring about growth. Expansion of cell walls is an essential component of growth, and the regulation of cell wall expansion is one of the ways in which the mechanics of growth is controlled, managed and directed. In this study, the inherent surface mechanical properties of living Arabidopsis thaliana whole-root epidermal cells were studied at the nanoscale using the technique of atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Nanostructure of cellulose microfibrils in spruce wood.

The structure of cellulose microfibrils in wood is not known in detail, despite the abundance of cellulose in woody biomass and its importance for biology, energy, and engineering. The structure of the microfibrils of spruce wood cellulose was investigated using a range of spectroscopic methods coupled to small-angle neutron and wide-angle X-ray scattering. The scattering data were consistent with 24-chain microfibrils and favored a "rectangular" model with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces exposed.