Plant cell wall extensibility: connecting plant cell growth with cell wall structure, mechanics, and the action of wall-modifying enzymes

The advent of user-friendly instruments for measuring force/deflection curves of plant surfaces at high spatial resolution has resulted in a recent outpouring of reports of the 'Young's modulus' of plant cell walls. The stimulus for these mechanical measurements comes from biomechanical models of morphogenesis of meristems and other tissues, as well as single cells, in which cell wall stress feeds back to regulate microtubule organization, auxin transport, cellulose deposition, and future growth directionality. In this article I review the differences between elastic modulus and wall extensibility in the context of cell growth. Some of the inherent complexities, assumptions, and potential pitfalls in the…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy

  Award: DE-SC0001090
• OO
  Office of Science

  Award: DE-SC0001090
• BE
  Basic Energy Sciences

  Award: DE-SC0001090
• CF
  Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation

  Awards: DE-SC0001090, SC0001090