Cellulose biogenesis in Dictyostelium discoideum
Conference
·
OSTI ID:574274
Organisms that synthesize cellulose can be found amongst the bacteria, protistans, fungi, and animals, but it is in plants that the importance of cellulose in function (as the major structural constituent of plant cell walls) and economic use (as wood and fiber) can be best appreciated. The structure of cellulose and its biosynthesis have been the subjects of intense investigation. One of the most important insights gained from these studies is that the synthesis of cellulose by living organisms involves much more than simply the polymerization of glucose into a (1{r_arrow}4)-{beta}-linked polymer. The number of glucoses in a polymer (the degree of polymerization), the crystalline form assumed by the glucan chains when they crystallize to form a microfibril, and the dimensions and orientation of the microfibrils are all subject to cellular control. Instead of cellulose biosynthesis, a more appropriate term might be cellulose biogenesis, to emphasize the involvement of cellular structures and mechanisms in controlling polymerization and directing crystallization and deposition. Dictyostelium discoideum is uniquely suitable for the study of cellulose biogenesis because of its amenability to experimental study and manipulation and the extent of our knowledge of its basic cellular mechanisms (as will be evident from the rest of this volume). In this chapter, I will summarize what is known about cellulose biogenesis in D. discoideum, emphasizing its potential to illuminate our understanding both of D. discoideum development and plant cellulose biogenesis.
- Research Organization:
- Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States); Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX (United States); Texas Advanced Research Program, TX (United States); Texas Advanced Technology Program, TX (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States); North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels (Belgium)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG05-90ER20006; FG03-95ER20172
- OSTI ID:
- 574274
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305158--1; ON: DE98001198; CNN: Grant 1388; Grant 003644-078; NSF Grant; DCB-9105737; NSF Grant BIR-9016892; Grant CR90156
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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