Finding order in a bustling construction zone: quantitative imaging and analysis of cell wall assembly in plants. (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Anderson, Charles T
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in plant biology. Volume 46(2018)
• Page Start: 62
• Page End: 67
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Plant molecular biology -- Periodicals; 571.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.07.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-5266

Abstract

Highlights: Cell wall assembly combines regulated protein and matrix polymer trafficking to the apoplast. Quantitative imaging of cellulose synthase reveals its trafficking and behavior. New methods are available for quantifying matrix polymer delivery and deposition. Super-resolution imaging can bridge light and electron microscopy of wall assembly. Abstract : Assembly of polysaccharide-based walls by plant cells involves the rapid synthesis, trafficking, and deposition of complex biopolymers, but how these events are controlled and coordinated to achieve a strong, resilient extracellular matrix has remained obscure for decades. Recent quantitative analyses of fluorescence microscopy data have revealed details of the trafficking and synthetic activity of cellulose synthases, and new methods for labeling matrix polymers have unveiled aspects of their regulated deposition in the wall. Detailed studies of the identity, architecture, activity, and trafficking of the proteins and protein complexes that synthesize wall polymers, combined with advances in image acquisition and analysis, will aid future efforts to dissect wall assembly.