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Cellulose -; an integral component of plant cell walls -; is an important source of food, paper, textiles and biofuels, but how its creation is regulated within plant cells has remained unclear.
A plant cell wall’s unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking is due the movement of its cellulose skeleton, according to new research by Penn State biologists that models the cell wall. Chains of cellulose bundle together within the cell wall, providing strength, and slide against each other when the cell is stretched, providing extensibility.
Loading video... VIDEO: As the modeled plant cell wall stretches, the network of components within the cell walls--including cellulose (purple), xyloglucan (green), and pectin (yellow)--dynamically rearranges itself. The movements by the cellulose provided... view more Credit: Cosgrove Lab, Penn State UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A plant cell wall's unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking--a quality required for plant growth--is due to the movement of its cellulose skeleton, according to new research that models the cell wall. The new model, created by Penn State researchers...
Novel cellulose finding may lead to new chemicals, biofuels IMAGE: EDWARD WAGNER, COSGROVE LAB, PENN STATE Researchers revealed the crystal orientation of cellulose fibers, pictured here in green in the cells of an onion skin peel. Newswise — UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A multi-institutional research group led by two Penn State faculty members has identified, for the first time, how cellulose crystals orient themselves relative to the cell wall in plants, with potential implications for chemical and energy development. “A more detailed understanding of the structure of plant cell walls c...