J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2021, Vol. 63 ›› Issue (1): 251-272.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13055

Special Issue: Development Biotechnology

• Invited Expert Reviews • Previous Articles    

The plant cell wall: Biosynthesis, construction, and functions

Baocai Zhang1, Yihong Gao1,2, Lanjun Zhang1 and Yihua Zhou1,2*   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

    *Correspondence: Yihua Zhou (yhzhou@genetics.ac.cn)
  • Received:2020-12-04 Accepted:2020-12-15 Online:2020-12-15 Published:2021-01-01

Abstract: The plant cell wall is composed of multiple biopolymers, representing one of the most complex structural networks in nature. Hundreds of genes are involved in building such a natural masterpiece. However, the plant cell wall is the least understood cellular structure in plants. Due to great progress in plant functional genomics, many achievements have been made in uncovering cell wall biosynthesis, assembly, and architecture, as well as cell wall regulation and signaling. Such information has significantly advanced our understanding of the roles of the cell wall in many biological and physiological processes and has enhanced our utilization of cell wall materials. The use of cutting‐edge technologies such as single‐molecule imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy has provided much insight into the plant cell wall as an intricate nanoscale network, opening up unprecedented possibilities for cell wall research. In this review, we summarize the major advances made in understanding the cell wall in this era of functional genomics, including the latest findings on the biosynthesis, construction, and functions of the cell wall.

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