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Cellulose Biosynthesis (cellulose + biosynthesis)
Selected AbstractsCellulose structure and biosynthesis: What is in store for the 21st century?JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 3 2004R. Malcolm Brown Jr. Abstract This article briefly summarizes historical developments in fundamental research related to the structure and biosynthesis of cellulose. Major advances concerning the structure of cellulose include the discovery of a new suballomorph of cellulose I, the lattice imaging of glucan chains showing no fringe micelle structure, parallel chain orientation in cellulose I, and the discovery of nematic ordered cellulose. Major advances in biosynthesis include the discovery of the terminal synthesizing complex, the isolation and purification of cellulose synthase, the in vitro synthesis of cellulose I, and synthetic cellulose assembly. This article focuses on recent advances in molecular biology with cellulose, including the cloning and sequencing of cellulose synthase genes from bacteria, cyanobacteria, and vascular plants; proof of the terminal synthesizing complex as the site of the catalytic subunit of cellulose synthase; cellulose and callose synthase expression during growth and development; and phylogenetic aspects of cellulose synthase evolution. This article concludes with thoughts about future uses for the accumulating genetic information on cellulose biosynthesis for textiles and forest products and discusses possibilities of new global resources for cellulose production. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 487,495, 2004 [source] Genomics of cellulose biosynthesis in poplarsNEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2004Chandrashekhar P. Joshi Summary Genetic improvement of cellulose production in commercially important trees is one of the formidable goals of current forest biotechnology research. To achieve this goal, we must first decipher the enigmatic and complex process of cellulose biosynthesis in trees. The recent availability of rich genomic resources in poplars make Populus the first tree genus for which genetic augmentation of cellulose may soon become possible. Fortunately, because of the structural conservation of key cellulose biosynthesis genes between Arabidopsis and poplar genomes, the lessons learned from exploring the functions of Arabidopsis genes may be applied directly to poplars. However, regulation of these genes will most likely be distinct in these two-model systems because of their inherent biological differences. This research review covers the current state of knowledge about the three major cellulose biosynthesis-related gene families from poplar genomes: cellulose synthases, sucrose synthases and korrigan cellulases. Furthermore, we also suggest some future research directions that may have significant economical impacts on global forest product industries. [source] Plant cell wall biosynthesis: genetic, biochemical and functional genomics approaches to the identification of key genesPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006Naser Farrokhi Summary Cell walls are dynamic structures that represent key determinants of overall plant form, plant growth and development, and the responses of plants to environmental and pathogen-induced stresses. Walls play centrally important roles in the quality and processing of plant-based foods for both human and animal consumption, and in the production of fibres during pulp and paper manufacture. In the future, wall material that constitutes the major proportion of cereal straws and other crop residues will find increasing application as a source of renewable fuel and composite manufacture. Although the chemical structures of most wall constituents have been defined in detail, the enzymes involved in their synthesis and remodelling remain largely undefined, particularly those involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis. There have been real recent advances in our understanding of cellulose biosynthesis in plants, but, with few exceptions, the identities and modes of action of polysaccharide synthases and other glycosyltransferases that mediate the biosynthesis of the major non-cellulosic wall polysaccharides are not known. Nevertheless, emerging functional genomics and molecular genetics technologies are now allowing us to re-examine the central questions related to wall biosynthesis. The availability of the rice, Populus trichocarpa and Arabidopsis genome sequences, a variety of mutant populations, high-density genetic maps for cereals and other industrially important plants, high-throughput genome and transcript analysis systems, extensive publicly available genomics resources and an increasing armoury of analysis systems for the definition of candidate gene function will together allow us to take a systems approach to the description of wall biosynthesis in plants. [source] | ||||||||||