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1. The semi-automated development of plant cell wall finite element models

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-00979-2  

   Sayad, Andrew; Oduntan, Yusuf; Bokros, Norbert; DeBolt, Seth; Benzecry, Alice; Robertson, Daniel J.; Stubbs, Christopher J. (January 2023, Plant Methods)

   Abstract This study presents a methodology for a high-throughput digitization and quantification process of plant cell walls characterization, including the automated development of two-dimensional finite element models. Custom algorithms based on machine learning can also analyze the cellular microstructure for phenotypes such as cell size, cell wall curvature, and cell wall orientation. To demonstrate the utility of these models, a series of compound microscope images of both herbaceous and woody representatives were observed and processed. In addition, parametric analyses were performed on the resulting finite element models. Sensitivity analyses of the structural stiffness of the resulting tissue based on the cell wall elastic modulus and the cell wall thickness; demonstrated that the cell wall thickness has a three-fold larger impact of tissue stiffness than cell wall elastic modulus. 

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2. Adaptative survival of Aspergillus fumigatus to echinocandins arises from cell wall remodeling beyond β−1,3-glucan synthesis inhibition

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50799-8  

   Dickwella_Widanage, Malitha_C; Gautam, Isha; Sarkar, Daipayan; Mentink-Vigier, Frederic; Vermaas, Josh_V; Ding, Shi-You; Lipton, Andrew_S; Fontaine, Thierry; Latgé, Jean-Paul; Wang, Ping; et al (July 2024, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Antifungal echinocandins inhibit the biosynthesis of β−1,3-glucan, a major and essential polysaccharide component of the fungal cell wall. However, the efficacy of echinocandins against the pathogenAspergillus fumigatusis limited. Here, we use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) and other techniques to show that echinocandins induce dynamic changes in the assembly of mobile and rigid polymers within theA. fumigatuscell wall. The reduction of β−1,3-glucan induced by echinocandins is accompanied by a concurrent increase in levels of chitin, chitosan, and highly polymorphic α−1,3-glucans, whose physical association with chitin maintains cell wall integrity and modulates water permeability. The rearrangement of the macromolecular network is dynamic and controls the permeability and circulation of the drug throughout the cell wall. Thus, our results indicate that echinocandin treatment triggers compensatory rearrangements in the cell wall that may helpA. fumigatusto tolerate the drugs’ antifungal effects. 

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3. Effect of cell wall compositions on lodging resistance of cereal crops: review

   https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859624000091  

   Mengistie, E; McDonald, A G (December 2023, The Journal of Agricultural Science)

   Abstract Lodging is the permanent displacement of stalks due to disrupted secondary cell walls caused by external factors, plant characters and their interaction. Anatomical, morphological and compositional traits are among lodging-inducing plant traits. In comparison with morphological and anatomical features, the correlation of lodging resistance and cell wall composition is not frequently reviewed. In this review, the relation between cell wall composition and lodging resistance of cereal stalks is comprehensively reviewed based on major cell wall components (lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose) and trace minerals. From the body of literatures reviewed across all cereal crops, lignin and cellulose were found to have significant positive correlation with lodging resistance. However, the effect of structural features of cellulose and lignin on lodging resistance was not investigated in most of the studies. This review also highlights the importance of biomass recalcitrance and lodging resistance trade-offs in the spectrum of genetic cell wall modifications. 

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4. Plant Cell Wall Integrity Perturbations and Priming for Defense

   https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243539  

   Swaminathan, Sivakumar; Lionetti, Vincenzo; Zabotina, Olga A. (December 2022, Plants)

   A plant cell wall is a highly complex structure consisting of networks of polysaccharides, proteins, and polyphenols that dynamically change during growth and development in various tissues. The cell wall not only acts as a physical barrier but also dynamically responds to disturbances caused by biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants have well-established surveillance mechanisms to detect any cell wall perturbations. Specific immune signaling pathways are triggered to contrast biotic or abiotic forces, including cascades dedicated to reinforcing the cell wall structure. This review summarizes the recent developments in molecular mechanisms underlying maintenance of cell wall integrity in plant–pathogen and parasitic interactions. Subjects such as the effect of altered expression of endogenous plant cell-wall-related genes or apoplastic expression of microbial cell-wall-modifying enzymes on cell wall integrity are covered. Targeted genetic modifications as a tool to study the potential of cell wall elicitors, priming of signaling pathways, and the outcome of disease resistance phenotypes are also discussed. The prime importance of understanding the intricate details and complete picture of plant immunity emerges, ultimately to engineer new strategies to improve crop productivity and sustainability. 

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5. Probing stress-regulated ordering of the plant cortical microtubule array via a computational approach

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-023-04252-5  

   Li, Jing; Szymanski, Daniel B.; Kim, Taeyoon (December 2023, BMC Plant Biology)

   Abstract BackgroundMorphological properties of tissues and organs rely on cell growth. The growth of plant cells is determined by properties of a tough outer cell wall that deforms anisotropically in response to high turgor pressure. Cortical microtubules bias the mechanical anisotropy of a cell wall by affecting the trajectories of cellulose synthases in the wall that polymerize cellulose microfibrils. The microtubule cytoskeleton is often oriented in one direction at cellular length-scales to regulate growth direction, but the means by which cellular-scale microtubule patterns emerge has not been well understood. Correlations between the microtubule orientation and tensile forces in the cell wall have often been observed. However, the plausibility of stress as a determining factor for microtubule patterning has not been directly evaluated to date. ResultsHere, we simulated how different attributes of tensile forces in the cell wall can orient and pattern the microtubule array in the cortex. We implemented a discrete model with transient microtubule behaviors influenced by local mechanical stress in order to probe the mechanisms of stress-dependent patterning. Specifically, we varied the sensitivity of four types of dynamic behaviors observed on the plus end of microtubules – growth, shrinkage, catastrophe, and rescue – to local stress. Then, we evaluated the extent and rate of microtubule alignments in a two-dimensional computational domain that reflects the structural organization of the cortical array in plant cells. ConclusionOur modeling approaches reproduced microtubule patterns observed in simple cell types and demonstrated that a spatial variation in the magnitude and anisotropy of stress can mediate mechanical feedback between the wall and of the cortical microtubule array. 

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