Newly Identified Protein Regulates the Creation of Cellulose in Plant Cells
Published:11 Oct.2023 Source:Penn State
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. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State has identified a protein that modifies the cellular machinery responsible for producing cellulose, which ultimately lends stability to that machinery. This new understanding could inform the design of more stable, cellulose-enriched materials for biofuels and other functions.
Within a plant cell, a complex of proteins called the cellulose synthase complex builds a chain of cellulose. Regulation of this process determines a variety of properties like when and how quickly it occurs as well as the length of the cellulose chain. The chemical modification carried out by the CPK32 protein is called phosphorylation; it adds a chemical compound known as a phosphor group to the cellulose synthase protein CESA3. These types of modifications are reversible and support a variety of important biological functions in the cell.
Previous studies have shown CPK32 plays a role in several biological processes, including pollen tube growth as well as shoot and root development. Here, researchers demonstrate a new function of CPK32 and a novel mechanism of phosphorylation in stabilizing the cellulose synthase complex. By regulating the stability of the cellulose synthase complex, we may be able to encourage cells to produce longer cellulose chains and ultimately engineer cellulose-rich materials.