Modification of plant cell wall structure accompanied by enhancement of saccharification efficiency using a chemical, lasalocid sodium.

The cell wall is one major determinant of plant cell morphology, and is an attractive bioresource. Here, we report a novel strategy to modify plant cell wall property by small molecules. Lasalocid sodium (LS) was isolated by chemical screening to identify molecules that affect the cell morphology of tobacco BY-2 cells.

Monoclonal antibody-based analysis of cell wall remodeling during xylogenesis.

Xylogenesis, a process by which woody tissues are formed, entails qualitative and quantitative changes in the cell wall. However, the molecular events that underlie these changes are not completely understood. Previously, we have isolated two monoclonal antibodies, referred to as XD3 and XD27, by subtractive screening of a phage-display library of antibodies raised against a wall fraction of Zinnia elegans xylogenic culture cells.

VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN6 and VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN7 effectively induce transdifferentiation into xylem vessel elements under control of an induction system.

We previously showed that the VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN6 (VND6) and VND7 genes, which encode NAM/ATAF/CUC domain protein transcription factors, act as key regulators of xylem vessel differentiation. Here, we report a glucocorticoid-mediated posttranslational induction system of VND6 and VND7. In this system, VND6 or VND7 is expressed as a fused protein with the activation domain of the herpes virus VP16 protein and hormone-binding domain of the animal glucocorticoid receptor, and the protein's activity is induced by treatment with dexamethasone (DEX), a glucocorticoid derivative.

Effects of boron deficiency in cell suspension cultures of Populus alba L.

Cell suspension cultures of Populus alba L. (original cells) require at least 10 microM boron for appropriate growth. Using original cells we established a cell line, T-5B, which can grow in a medium containing low levels of boron (5 microM).

Analysis of sugars in squash xylem sap.

Xylem sap contains organic and inorganic compounds that might be involved in root-to-shoot communication. To clarify the physiological functions of sugars in xylem sap, we characterized the sugar compounds of the xylem sap. The 80% ethanol-soluble fraction of xylem sap contained mainly myo-inositol and oligosaccharides.

Activity of cell-wall degradation associated with differentiation of isolated mesophyll cells of Zinnia elegans into tracheary elements.

Cell walls were prepared from cultured mesophyll cells of Zinnia elegans L. that were transdifferentiating into tracheary elements and incubated in a buffer to undergo autolysis. The rate of autolysis of cell walls was determined by measuring the amount of carbohydrate released from the cell walls into the buffer during incubation.