endo-glucanase 16 localizes to the cell walls of developing tissues.

The hemicelluloses comprise a group of matrix glycans that interact with cellulose microfibrils in plant cell walls and play important roles in establishing wall architecture. The structures of hemicelluloses are determined by carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) that synthesize, integrate, and break down these polymers. Specifically, endo-glucanase 16 (EG16) enzymes, which are related to the well-known () gene products in Glycoside Hydrolase Family 16 (GH16), have been implicated in the degradation of the β(1,4)-linked backbone of mixed-linkage β(1,3);β(1,4)-glucans (MLG) and xyloglucans.

Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens endo-glucanase 16 is involved in the cell wall development of young tissue.

Plants maintain large repertoires of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes)-comprising between 3% and 10% of their genomes-to synthesize, modify, and degrade the polysaccharide components of the cell wall. We recently identified a unique group of plant endo-glucanases from Glycoside Hydrolase Family 16, viz. EG16 orthologs, which constitute a sister clade to the well-known XYLOGLUCAN ENDO-TRANSGLYCOSYLASE/HYDROLASE (XTH) gene products.

The Penium margaritaceum Genome: Hallmarks of the Origins of Land Plants.

The evolutionary features and molecular innovations that enabled plants to first colonize land are not well understood. Here, insights are provided through our report of the genome sequence of the unicellular alga Penium margaritaceum, a member of the Zygnematophyceae, the sister lineage to land plants. The genome has a high proportion of repeat sequences that are associated with massive segmental gene duplications, likely facilitating neofunctionalization.

Family-size variability grows with collapse rate in a birth-death-catastrophe model.

Forest-fire and avalanche models support the notion that frequent catastrophes prevent the growth of very large populations and as such, prevent rare large-scale catastrophes. We show that this notion is not universal. A new model class leads to a paradigm shift in the influence of catastrophes on the family-size distribution of subpopulations.