Structure and dynamics of the plant cell wall as information processing system

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Plant cell wall as information-processing system
• Project/Area Number: 24114005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Nishitani Kazuhiko 東北大学, 生命科学研究科, 教授 (60164555)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大林 武 東北大学, 情報科学研究科, 准教授 (50397048) ; 工藤 光子 立教大学, 理学部, 准教授 (90594078)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YOKOYAMA Ryusuke 東北大学, 大学院生命科学研究科, 講師 (90302083) ; KUROHA Takeshi 東北大学, 大学院生命科学研究科, 助教 (50415155)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 植物細胞壁 / 高次構造 / セルロース / キシログルカン / XTH / CET / セルロース繋ぎ換え反応 / 細胞壁モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The function of the plant cell wall in information-processing largely depend on its structural features. The most widely accepted structural model for the plant cell wall was “tethered-network model” which holds that cellulose microfibrils are tethered by xyloglucan or other matrix polysaccharides to form skeletal network of cellulose. But this model has been challenged by recent reports. In the present we found that certain cell wall enzyme can mediate splitting and reconnection of cellulose molecules by transglucosylation reaction, and named this enzyme activity as Cellulose Endo Transglucosylase (CET). On the basis of this new finding we propose a new structural model for the plant cell wall, a model in which cellulose microfibrils are directly tethered via a covalent bonding between cellulose microfibrils.

Free Research Field

植物生理学