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Xylan-based nanocompartments orchestrate plant vessel wall patterning.

Hang WangHanlei YangZhao WenChengxu GaoYihong GaoYanbao TianZuopeng XuXiangling LiuStaffan PerssonBao-Cai ZhangYi-Hua Zhou
Published in: Nature plants (2022)
Nanoclustering of biomacromolecules allows cells to efficiently orchestrate biological processes. The plant cell wall is a highly organized polysaccharide network but is heterogeneous in chemistry and structure. However, polysaccharide-based nanocompartments remain ill-defined. Here, we identify a xylan-rich nanodomain at pit borders of xylem vessels. We show that these nanocompartments maintain distinct wall patterns by anchoring cellulosic nanofibrils at the pit borders, critically supporting vessel robustness, water transport and leaf transpiration. The nanocompartments are produced by the activity of IRREGULAR XYLEM (IRX)10 and its homologues, which we show are de novo xylan synthases. Our study hence outlines a mechanism of how xylans are synthesized, how they assemble into nanocompartments and how the nanocompartments sustain cell wall pit patterning to support efficient water transport throughout the plant body.
Keyphrases
  • cell wall
  • induced apoptosis
  • cell cycle arrest
  • signaling pathway
  • oxidative stress