Cell-wall structure and anisotropy in procuste, a cellulose synthase mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

In dark-grown hypocotyls of the Arabidopsis procuste mutant, a mutation in the CesA6 gene encoding a cellulose synthase reduces cellulose synthesis and severely inhibits elongation growth. Previous studies had left it uncertain why growth was inhibited, because cellulose synthesis was affected before, not during, the main phase of elongation. We characterised the quantity, structure and orientation of the cellulose remaining in the walls of affected cells.

Structure of cellulose-deficient secondary cell walls from the irx3 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana.

In the Arabidopsis mutant irx3, truncation of the AtCesA7 gene encoding a xylem-specific cellulose synthase results in reduced cellulose synthesis in the affected xylem cells and collapse of mature xylem vessels. Here we describe spectroscopic experiments to determine whether any cellulose, normal or abnormal, remained in the walls of these cells and whether there were consequent effects on other cell-wall polysaccharides. Xylem cell walls from irx3 and its wild-type were prepared by anatomically specific isolation and were examined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy and FTIR microscopy.

Pectic methyl and nonmethyl esters in potato cell walls.

Because pectins are released from potatoes and other plants under conditions that cleave ester linkages, it has been suggested that there are other galaturonoyl ester cross-links between pectin chains in addition to the known non-cross-linking methyl esters. A microscale titration method and a copper binding method were developed for the measurement of total polymer carboxyl (essentially pectic) ester content in potato cell walls. Relative to the uronic acid content of the cell walls, the degree of total esterification was 57-58%.