Rapid cell expansion and cellulose synthesis regulated by plasmodesmata and sugar: insights from the single-celled cotton fibre

Yong-Ling Ruan

doi:10.1071/FP06234

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Rapid cell expansion and cellulose synthesis regulated by plasmodesmata and sugar: insights from the single-celled cotton fibre

Yong-Ling Ruan

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Email: yong-ling.ruan@csiro.au

^B This paper originates from the Peter Goldacre Award 2005 of the Australian Society of Plant Scientists, received by the author

Functional Plant Biology 34(1) 1-10 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP06234
Submitted: 20 September 2006 Accepted: 21 November 2006 Published: 19 January 2007

Abstract

Higher plants comprise mixtures of some 40 different cell types, and this often complicates the interpretation of data obtained at the tissue level. Studies for a given cell type may provide novel insights into the mechanisms underlying defined cellular and developmental processes. In this regard, the cotton fibre represents an excellent single-cell model to study the control of rapid cell elongation and cellulose synthesis. These single cells, initiated from the ovule epidermis at anthesis, typically elongate to ~3–5 cm in the tetraploid species before they switch to intensive secondary cell wall cellulose synthesis. By maturity, more than 94% of fibre weight is cellulose. To unravel the mechanisms of fibre elongation and cellulose synthesis, two hypotheses have been examined: (a) that sucrose degradation and utilisation mediated by sucrose synthase (Sus) may play roles in fibre development and (b) that symplastic isolation of the fibre cells may be required for their rapid elongation. Reverse genetic and biochemical analyses have revealed the critical role that Sus plays in fibre initiation and early elongation. Late in development, plasma-membrane and cell wall association of Sus protein seems to be involved in rapid cellulose synthesis. Cell biology and gene expression studies showed a temporary closure of fibre plasmodesmata (PD), probably due to the deposition of callose, at the rapid phase of elongation. The duration of the PD closure correlates positively with the final fibre length attained. These data support the view that PD closure may be required for fibres to achieve extended elongation. The branching of PD towards the secondary cell wall stage is postulated to function as a molecule sieve for tight control of macromolecule trafficking into fibres to sustain intensive cellulose synthesis.

Acknowledgements

I thank Rosemary White and Celia Miller for conducting the electron microscopic localisation of Sus protein shown in Fig. 4 and many colleagues for their support. The research in the author’s group was funded, in part, by Australian Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

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