Searching for new cell wall protein genes in Arabidopsis.

The objective of this study was to test an approach that combines bioinformatic and subcellular localization analysis to identify novel cell wall protein genes in Arabidopsis. Proteins with unknown function in the Arabidopsis genome were first identified and scanned for the presence of N-terminal signal peptides. The signal peptide-containing function-unknown proteins were further analyzed to eliminate the ones containing other sequences, such as endoplasmic reticulum and vacuole retention signals, that may prevent a protein from secretion into cell walls.