Cell wall integrity maintenance during plant development and interaction with the environment

Abstract

Cell walls are highly dynamic structures that provide mechanical support for plant cells during growth, development, and adaptation to a changing environment. Thus, it is important for the plant to monitor the state of the walls and ensure their functional integrity at all times. This monitoring involves perception of physical forces at the cell wall-plasma membrane interphase. These forces are altered during cell division, morphogenesis and in response to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Mechanisms responsible for perception of physical stimuli involved in these processes have been difficult to separate from other regulatory mechanisms perceiving chemical signals like hormones, peptides or cell wall fragments. However, recently developed technologies in combination with more established genetic and biochemical approaches are beginning to open up this exciting field of study. Here we will review our current knowledge of plant cell wall integrity signaling using selected recent findings and highlight how the plasma membrane-cell wall interphase can act as venue for sensing changes in the physical forces affecting plant development and stress responses. More importantly, we discuss how these signals may be integrated with chemical signals derived from established signaling cascades to control specific adaptive responses during exposure to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Arabidopsiscell wall composition determines disease resistance specificity and fitness

“…isoxaben). These wall modifications have a direct effect on cell wall integrity (CWI) and can initiate molecular adaptive mechanisms like cell wall composition remodeling and defensive responses activation (12,(18)(19)(20)(21). CWI alteration also occurs in plants impaired in or overexpressing cell wall-related genes.…”

“…Modification of CWI leads also to developmental phenotype alterations (e.g. reduced plant size, biomass or fertility) indicating that cell wall contributes to plant fitness (5,19,(51)(52). Notwithstanding the evidence of the roles of plant cell walls in immunity and fitness, correlations between variations in cell walls carbohydrate moieties composition and specific phenotypes have not been described until recently (12,41,53).…”

Defensive forwards: stress-responsive proteins in cell walls of crop plants

“…The role of plant cell wall in stress response is increasingly emphasized, especially the surveillance of its structure is closely associated with innate immunity in plants [11]. Notably, cell wall proteins (CWPs) have been implied in various stresses through modifying wall structure and involving in wall integrity signaling [12,13]. However, the potential of CWPs in crop improvement of stress tolerance has probably been underestimated.…”

“…Pectin, cellulose and hemicellulose are the main components (>90%) of the primary cell wall, whereas cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are dominant in the secondary wall [14]. Despite present in minor amounts (5–10% of the primary cell wall mass), CWPs are actively involved in cell wall integrity signaling and innate immunity during plant development and adaptation to environmental cues [12,13]. Most CWPs are basic proteins with a signal peptide and are post-translationally modified, especially by hydroxylation, N-glycosylation and O-glycosylation [14].…”

Artificial scaffolds that mimic the plant extracellular environment for the culture and attachment of plant cells

“…Pectins are also a major component of the middle lamella that glues the cell walls of adjacent plant cells to provide tissue integrity 19 . The cell wall also contains a small amount of proteins that contribute to wall structure, signaling and wall remodeling 20,21,22 .…”