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Title: Dynamic Structural Change of Plant Epidermal Cell Walls under Strain

Journal Article · · Small
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  3. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
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The molecular foundations of epidermal cell wall mechanics are critical for understanding structure–function relationships of primary cell walls in plants and facilitating the design of bioinspired materials. To uncover the molecular mechanisms regulating the high extensibility and strength of the cell wall, the onion epidermal wall is stretched uniaxially to various strains and cell wall structures from mesoscale to atomic scale are characterized. Upon longitudinal stretching to high strain, epidermal walls contract in the transverse direction, resulting in a reduced area. Atomic force microscopy shows that cellulose microfibrils exhibit orientation-dependent rearrangements at high strains: longitudinal microfibrils are straightened out and become highly ordered, while transverse microfibrils curve and kink. Small-angle X-ray scattering detects a 7.4 nm spacing aligned along the stretch direction at high strain, which is attributed to distances between individual cellulose microfibrils. Furthermore, wide-angle X-ray scattering reveals a widening of (004) lattice spacing and contraction of (200) lattice spacing in longitudinally aligned cellulose microfibrils at high strain, which implies longitudinal stretching of the cellulose crystal. These findings provide molecular insights into the ability of the wall to bear additional load after yielding: the aggregation of longitudinal microfibrils impedes sliding and enables further stretching of the cellulose to bear increased loads.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001090; SC0012704; AC02-05CH11231; CMMI: 15-48571
OSTI ID:
2311031
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2429232; OSTI ID: 2459330
Journal Information:
Small, Vol. 20, Issue 30; ISSN 1613-6810
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (6)

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Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
atomic force microscopy
plant epidermal cell walls
small-angle X-ray scattering
strain-hardening
wide-angle X-ray scattering