skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Structure/function relationships in the rosette cellulose synthesis complex illuminated by an evolutionary perspective

Journal Article · · Cellulose
 [1];  [2]
  1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
  2. Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States)

Cellulose microfibrils are a key component of plant cell walls, which in turn compose most of our renewable biomaterials. Consequently, there is considerable interest in understanding how cellulose microfibrils are made in living cells by the plant cellulose synthesis complex (CSC). This remarkable multi-subunit complex contains cellulose synthase (CESA) proteins, and it is often called a rosette due to its six-lobed shape. Each CSC moves within the plasma membrane as it spins a strong cellulose microfibril in its wake. To accomplish this biological manufacturing process, the CESAs harvest an activated sugar substrate from the cytoplasm for use in the polymerization of glucan chains. An elongating glucan is simultaneously translocated across the plasma membrane by each CESA, where the group of chains emanating from one CSC co-crystallizes into a cellulose microfibril that becomes part of the assembling cell wall. Here we review major advances in understanding CESA and CSC structure/function relationships since 2013, when ground-breaking insights about the structure of cellulose synthases in bacteria and plants were published. We additionally discuss: (a) the relationship of CSC substructure to the size of the fundamental cellulose fibril; (b) an evolutionary perspective on the driving force behind the existence of hetero-oligomeric CSCs that currently appear to dominate in land plants; and (c) how cellulose properties may be regulated by CESA and CSC activity. Finally, we also pose major questions that still remain in this rapidly changing and exciting research field.

Research Organization:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001090
OSTI ID:
1595731
Journal Information:
Cellulose, Vol. 26, Issue 1; ISSN 0969-0239
Publisher:
SpringerCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 23 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (127)

Solid-state NMR investigations of cellulose structure and interactions with matrix polysaccharides in plant primary cell walls journal September 2015
At the border: the plasma membrane-cell wall continuum journal February 2015
Molecular Analysis of Cellulose Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis journal January 1998
Phylotranscriptomic analysis of the origin and early diversification of land plants journal October 2014
Elucidating the Mechanisms of Assembly and Subunit Interaction of the Cellulose Synthase Complex of Arabidopsis Secondary Cell Walls journal December 2008
Formation of wood secondary cell wall may involve two type cellulose synthase complexes in Populus journal December 2016
NorWood: a gene expression resource for evo-devo studies of conifer wood development journal February 2017
Why Plants Were Terrestrial from the Beginning journal February 2016
Cellulose Biosynthesis: Counting the Chains journal December 2013
Spatial organization of cellulose microfibrils and matrix polysaccharides in primary plant cell walls as imaged by multichannel atomic force microscopy journal January 2016
Longevity in vivo of primary cell wall cellulose synthases journal January 2018
Identification of cellulose synthase AtCesA7 (IRX3) in vivo phosphorylation sites—a potential role in regulating protein degradation journal February 2007
Cellulose Synthesis and Its Regulation journal January 2014
The water solubilities and heats of solution of short chain cellulosic oligosaccharides journal January 1957
Functional Specialization of Cellulose Synthase Isoforms in a Moss Shows Parallels with Seed Plants journal August 2017
Plant cellulose synthesis: CESA proteins crossing kingdoms journal April 2015
Catalytic Subunit Stoichiometry within the Cellulose Synthase Complex journal October 2014
The cellulose synthase (CESA) gene superfamily of the moss Physcomitrella patens journal September 2006
Genetic evidence for three unique components in primary cell-wall cellulose synthase complexes in Arabidopsis journal September 2007
The cellulose synthase superfamily in fully sequenced plants and algae journal January 2009
Characterization of a Functional Soluble Form of a Brassica napus Membrane-Anchored Endo-1,4-β-Glucanase Heterologously Expressed in Pichia pastoris journal October 2001
Native Cellulose: A Composite of Two Distinct Crystalline Forms journal January 1984
The Cellulase KORRIGAN Is Part of the Cellulose Synthase Complex journal June 2014
Phylogenetically Distinct Cellulose Synthase Genes Support Secondary Wall Thickening in Arabidopsis Shoot Trichomes and Cotton Fiber journal February 2010
A single heterologously expressed plant cellulose synthase isoform is sufficient for cellulose microfibril formation in vitro journal September 2016
Visualization of the nanoscale pattern of recently-deposited cellulose microfibrils and matrix materials in never-dried primary walls of the onion epidermis journal July 2013
Xyloglucan and its Interactions with Other Components of the Growing Cell Wall journal January 2015
Unique Aspects of the Structure and Dynamics of Elementary I β Cellulose Microfibrils Revealed by Computational Simulations journal March 2015
Structure of native cellulose microfibrils, the starting point for nanocellulose manufacture journal December 2017
Chimeric Proteins Suggest That the Catalytic and/or C-Terminal Domains Give CesA1 and CesA3 Access to Their Specific Sites in the Cellulose Synthase of Primary Walls journal August 2006
Cellulose synthase complex organization and cellulose microfibril structure journal December 2017
Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering and Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Data Combined to Test Models for Cellulose Microfibrils in Mung Bean Cell Walls journal October 2013
How Cellulose Elongates—A QM/MM Study of the Molecular Mechanism of Cellulose Polymerization in Bacterial CESA journal April 2015
Phosphoregulation of the Plant Cellulose Synthase Complex and Cellulose Synthase-Like Proteins journal June 2018
Exploring Microtubule-Dependent Cellulose-Synthase-Complex Movement with High Precision Particle Tracking journal July 2018
Turning a hobby into a job: How duplicated genes find new functions journal December 2008
Organization of cellulose synthase complexes involved in primary cell wall synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana journal September 2007
BcsA and BcsB form the catalytically active core of bacterial cellulose synthase sufficient for in vitro cellulose synthesis journal October 2013
Two Complementary Mechanisms Underpin Cell Wall Patterning during Xylem Vessel Development journal September 2017
Cellulose and callose synthesis and organization in focus, what's new? journal December 2016
Structure and spacing of cellulose microfibrils in woody cell walls of dicots journal October 2014
Evolution of increased complexity in a molecular machine journal January 2012
Cellulose synthesis: a complex complex journal June 2008
Alleles Causing Resistance to Isoxaben and Flupoxam Highlight the Significance of Transmembrane Domains for CESA Protein Function journal August 2018
The Arabidopsis Cellulose Synthase Complex: A Proposed Hexamer of CESA Trimers in an Equimolar Stoichiometry journal December 2014
Cellulose synthase complexes act in a concerted fashion to synthesize highly aggregated cellulose in secondary cell walls of plants journal September 2016
Gaining insight into cell wall cellulose macrofibril organisation by simulating microfibril adsorption journal October 2015
The Sites of Cellulose Synthesis in Algae: Diversity and Evolution of Cellulose-Synthesizing Enzyme Complexes journal August 1999
Cellulose synthases: new insights from crystallography and modeling journal February 2014
Cellulose synthase complexes display distinct dynamic behaviors during xylem transdifferentiation journal June 2018
Modifications of cellulose synthase confer resistance to isoxaben and thiazolidinone herbicides in Arabidopsis Ixr1 mutants journal August 2001
A Molecular Timeline for the Origin of Photosynthetic Eukaryotes journal May 2004
Functional Analysis of Cellulose Synthase (CESA) Protein Class Specificity journal December 2016
Cell Wall, Cytoskeleton, and Cell Expansion in Higher Plants journal April 2014
A ratchet for protein complexity journal January 2012
Moss cell walls: structure and biosynthesis journal January 2012
β-D-Glycan synthases and the CesA gene family: lessons to be learned from the mixed-linkage (1→3),(1→4)β-D-glucan synthase journal September 2001
The Cell Biology of Cellulose Synthesis journal April 2014
Cellulose synthase ‘class specific regions’ are intrinsically disordered and functionally undifferentiated: Intrinsic disorder in cellulose synthases journal March 2018
Progress toward Understanding Protein S-acylation: Prospective in Plants journal March 2017
Cellulose microfibril crystallinity is reduced by mutating C-terminal transmembrane region residues CESA1A903V and CESA3T942I of cellulose synthase journal February 2012
The jiaoyao1 Mutant Is an Allele of korrigan1 That Abolishes Endoglucanase Activity and Affects the Organization of Both Cellulose Microfibrils and Microtubules in Arabidopsis journal June 2014
Cellulose Structural Polymorphism in Plant Primary Cell Walls Investigated by High-Field 2D Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Calculations journal May 2016
Prediction of the structures of the plant-specific regions of vascular plant cellulose synthases and correlated functional analysis journal October 2015
A new putative cellulose-synthesizing complex ofColeochaete scutata journal March 1992
Interactions among three distinct CesA proteins essential for cellulose synthesis journal January 2003
A Molecular Description of Cellulose Biosynthesis journal June 2015
The cell biology of secondary cell wall biosynthesis journal February 2018
Evidence for an intramembrane component associated with a cellulose microfibril-synthesizing complex in higher plants journal February 1980
Mutations of cellulose synthase (CESA1) phosphorylation sites modulate anisotropic cell expansion and bidirectional mobility of cellulose synthase journal September 2010
Cellulose microfibril aggregates and their size variation with cell wall type journal January 2007
Cellulose synthesis in the Arabidopsis secondary cell wall journal September 2004
Imaging cellulose synthase motility during primary cell wall synthesis in the grass Brachypodium distachyon journal November 2017
The Structure of the Catalytic Domain of a Plant Cellulose Synthase and Its Assembly into Dimers journal July 2014
A Structural Study of CESA1 Catalytic Domain of Arabidopsis Cellulose Synthesis Complex: Evidence for CESA Trimers journal November 2015
Plasmodesmata: a freeze-fracture view journal December 1976
Genetic organization of the cellulose synthase operon in Acetobacter xylinum. journal October 1990
Structure characterization of native cellulose during dehydration and rehydration journal September 2014
Understanding Plant Cellulose Synthases through a Comprehensive Investigation of the Cellulose Synthase Family Sequences journal January 2011
An update on the nomenclature for the cellulose synthase genes in Populus journal May 2009
Domain swaps of Arabidopsis secondary wall cellulose synthases to elucidate their class specificity journal July 2018
Interaction between Cellooligosaccharides in Aqueous Solution from Molecular Dynamics Simulation:  Comparison of Cellotetraose, Cellopentaose, and Cellohexaose journal August 2004
Tertiary model of a plant cellulose synthase journal April 2013
Rice Cellulose SynthaseA8 Plant-Conserved Region Is a Coiled-Coil at the Catalytic Core Entrance journal November 2016
Characterization of cellulose synthase complexes in Populus xylem differentiation journal June 2010
Nanostructure of cellulose microfibrils in spruce wood journal November 2011
Exploiting CELLULOSE SYNTHASE (CESA) Class Specificity to Probe Cellulose Microfibril Biosynthesis journal March 2018
Higher plants contain homologs of the bacterial celA genes encoding the catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase. journal October 1996
Analysis of cell-wall polymers during cotton fiber development journal January 1993
CELLULOSE BIOSYNTHESIS: Exciting Times for A Difficult Field of Study journal June 1999
Probing the Molecular Architecture of Arabidopsis thaliana Secondary Cell Walls Using Two- and Three-Dimensional 13 C Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy journal March 2015
Molecular Modeling and Imaging of Initial Stages of Cellulose Fibril Assembly: Evidence for a Disordered Intermediate Stage journal April 2014
Visualization of particle complexes in the plasma membrane of Micrasterias denticulata associated with the formation of cellulose fibrils in primary and secondary cell walls journal February 1980
Ultrastructure and Formation of Plant Cell Walls journal June 1967
The Shape of Native Plant Cellulose Microfibrils journal September 2018
Cellulose-Pectin Spatial Contacts Are Inherent to Never-Dried Arabidopsis Primary Cell Walls: Evidence from Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance journal June 2015
A survey of plant and algal genomes and transcriptomes reveals new insights into the evolution and function of the cellulose synthase superfamily journal January 2014
Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Cellulose Microfibrils from Reconstituted Cellulose Synthase journal August 2017
Distribution of plasma membrane rosettes and kinetics of cellulose formation in xylem development of higher plants journal June 1986
PtrCel9A6, an Endo-1,4-β-Glucanase, Is Required for Cell Wall Formation during Xylem Differentiation in Populus journal November 2013
Chemical, ultrastructural and supramolecular analysis of tension wood in Populus tremula x alba as a model substrate for reduced recalcitrance journal January 2011
Visualization of Cellulose Synthase Demonstrates Functional Association with Microtubules journal June 2006
Cellulose Synthesis and Cell Expansion Are Regulated by Different Mechanisms in Growing Arabidopsis Hypocotyls journal May 2017
Cellulose Synthases and Synthesis in Arabidopsis journal March 2011
Cellulose Synthase Stoichiometry in Aspen Differs from Arabidopsis and Norway Spruce journal May 2018
Identification of Novel Genes in Arabidopsis Involved in Secondary Cell Wall Formation Using Expression Profiling and Reverse Genetics journal June 2005
Immunogold Labeling of Rosette Terminal Cellulose-Synthesizing Complexes in the Vascular Plant Vigna angularis journal November 1999
Collapsed Xylem Phenotype of Arabidopsis Identifies Mutants Deficient in Cellulose Deposition in the Secondary Cell Wall journal May 1997
Global expression analysis of CESA and CSL genes in Arabidopsis journal September 2004
Genetic modification in cellulose-synthase reduces crystallinity and improves biochemical conversion to fermentable sugar journal February 2009
Comprehensive analysis of cellulose content, crystallinity, and lateral packing in Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense cotton fibers using sum frequency generation, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction journal January 2015
Visualization of cellulose synthases in Arabidopsis secondary cell walls journal October 2015
The timescale of early land plant evolution journal February 2018
Update on Mechanisms of Plant Cell Wall Biosynthesis: How Plants Make Cellulose and Other (1→4)-β-d-Glycans journal November 2010
The Physcomitrella patens chromosome-scale assembly reveals moss genome structure and evolution journal January 2018
Unidirectional Movement of Cellulose Synthase Complexes in Arabidopsis Seed Coat Epidermal Cells Deposit Cellulose Involved in Mucilage Extrusion, Adherence, and Ray Formation journal April 2015
Manipulating cellulose biosynthesis by expression of mutant Arabidopsis proM24::CESA3 ixr1-2 gene in transgenic tobacco journal December 2012
The cytoplasmic domain of the cellulose-synthesizing complex in vascular plants journal August 2008
Large-Scale Co-Expression Approach to Dissect Secondary Cell Wall Formation Across Plant Species journal January 2011
Cellulose Biosynthesis journal June 1987
The anisotropy1 D604N Mutation in the Arabidopsis Cellulose Synthase1 Catalytic Domain Reduces Cell Wall Crystallinity and the Velocity of Cellulose Synthase Complexes journal March 2013
Structure of cellulose microfibrils in mature cotton fibres journal November 2017
The Emerging Role of Protein Phosphorylation as a Critical Regulatory Mechanism Controlling Cellulose Biosynthesis journal May 2016
Re-constructing our models of cellulose and primary cell wall assembly journal December 2014
The Cellulose Synthase Complex: A Polymerization Driven Supramolecular Motor journal April 2007
What Do We Really Know about Cellulose Biosynthesis in Higher Plants? journal February 2010
Widespread Whole Genome Duplications Contribute to Genome Complexity and Species Diversity in Angiosperms journal March 2018

Cited By (3)