A pectin methyltransferase modulates polysaccharide dynamics and interactions in Arabidopsis primary cell walls: Evidence from solid-state NMR

Alex Kirui, Juan Du, Wancheng Zhao, William Barnes, Xue Kang, Charles T. Anderson, Chaowen Xiao, Tuo Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Plant cell walls contain cellulose embedded in matrix polysaccharides. Understanding carbohydrate structures and interactions is critical to the production of biofuel and biomaterials using these natural resources. Here we present a solid-state NMR study of cellulose and pectin in 13C-labeled cell walls of Arabidopsis wild-type and mutant plants. Using 1D 13C and 2D 13C–13C correlation experiments, we detected a highly branched arabinan structure in qua2 and tsd2 samples, two allelic mutants for a pectin methyltransferase. Both mutants show close physical association between cellulose and the backbones of pectic homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I. Relaxation and dipolar order parameters revealed enhanced microsecond dynamics due to polymer disorder in the mutants, but restricted motional amplitudes due to tighter pectin-cellulose associations. These molecular data shed light on polymer structure and packing in these two pectin mutants, helping to elucidate how pectin could influence cell wall architecture at the nanoscale, cell wall mechanics, and plant growth.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number118370
JournalCarbohydrate Polymers
Volume270
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 15 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A pectin methyltransferase modulates polysaccharide dynamics and interactions in Arabidopsis primary cell walls: Evidence from solid-state NMR'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this