Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 June 2022) | Viewed by 12848

Special Issue Editor

Departamento de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agrarias, Área de Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain
Interests: cell wall structural plasticity; abiotic stress responses; grafting; herbicides; cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is virtually no physiological process in plants that is not linked to modifications that occur in the walls of the cells (and therefore of the tissues and organs) where it takes place. As a consequence, key physiological processes in crop plants, such as germination, growth, grain filling, ripening, etc., are all conditioned by changes in cell wall metabolism. Similarly, crop resistance to pests and diseases is often dependent on changes in their cell walls. On the other hand, the composition and structure of cell walls drastically condition the digestibility, nutritional value, and organoleptic properties of crop plants destined to food or feed, as well as the yield and quality of biofuels, fabrics, fibers, and other crop products and subproducts. In recent years, much progress has been made in understanding the role that cell wall modifications play in the correct functioning of the plant, thanks largely to the advances made not only with model plants, such as Arabidopsis or Brachypodium, but also with crop plants. These advances have extended the knowledge on the physiology of crop plants and have led to plants more resistant to abiotic and/or biotic stresses as well to the obtention of value-added crops, putting the spotlight to the important relationship between the improvement in crop productivity and cell wall modifications.

The goal of this Special Issue is to bring together and share recent success stories from research in cell walls related to crops. Submissions on but not limited to the following subjects are encouraged: (1) Innovative approaches to study the metabolism of cell walls in crop plants; (2) Advances in the application of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics (and other omics) to crop plants; (3) Progress on cell wall modifications through key physiological processes (such as germination, flowering, or fruit ripening) in crop plants. (4) Research on resistance to abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, high or low temperature, radiation, etc.) linked to changes in cell wall components. (5) Novel studies on the enhancement of disease resistance in crop plants. (6) Obtention of value-added crops with modified cell walls.

Prof. José-Luis Acebes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cell wall omics in crop plants
  • Enzymatic modifications of cell walls
  • Value-added crops and cell wall modifications
  • Cell wall changes thorough fruit ripening
  • Abiotic stress and cell wall
  • Cell wall and disease crop protection
  • Lignin and digestibility
  • Cell wall synthesis and degradation
  • Cell wall integrity maintenance
  • Cell wall biorefining

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

4 pages, 207 KiB  
Editorial
Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants
by José-Luis Acebes
Agronomy 2022, 12(10), 2430; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12102430 - 07 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 829
Abstract
Much research has been conduct since cell walls were first depicted, when they were considered to be a mere inert material, such as the cement between cells, which only contributed to mechanical support [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)

Research

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20 pages, 1796 KiB  
Article
OsVTC1-1 RNAi Mutant with Reduction of Ascorbic Acid Synthesis Alters Cell Wall Sugar Composition and Cell Wall-Associated Proteins
by Kanyanat Lamanchai, Deborah L. Salmon, Nicholas Smirnoff, Pornsawan Sutthinon, Sittiruk Roytrakul, Kantinan Leetanasaksakul, Suthathip Kittisenachai and Chatchawan Jantasuriyarat
Agronomy 2022, 12(6), 1272; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12061272 - 26 May 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2299
Abstract
Ascorbic acid (AsA) or Vitamin C is an antioxidant molecule and plays an important role in many biological processes in plants. GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP or VTC1) catalyzes the synthesis of GDP-D-mannose, which is a precursor for AsA production and is used for cell [...] Read more.
Ascorbic acid (AsA) or Vitamin C is an antioxidant molecule and plays an important role in many biological processes in plants. GDP-D-mannose pyrophosphorylase (GMP or VTC1) catalyzes the synthesis of GDP-D-mannose, which is a precursor for AsA production and is used for cell wall polysaccharide and glycoprotein synthesis. In rice, the OsVTC1 gene consists of three homologs, including OsVTC1-1, OsVTC1-3 and OsVTC1-8. In this study, we characterized wild type (WT) and OsVTC1-1 RNAi lines (RI1-2 and RI1-3) and showed that the transcript levels of most genes in the AsA synthesis pathway, AsA content and leaf anatomical parameters in RNAi lines were reduced, revealing that OsVTC1-1 is involved in AsA synthesis. To further study the role of OsVTC1-1 gene, cell wall monosaccharide composition, transcriptome and proteome were compared, with specific attention paid to their wild type and OsVTC1-1 RNAi lines. Mannose and galactose composition (mole%) were decreased in OsVTC1-1 RNAi lines. Additionally, reduction of cell wall-associated proteins, such as kinesin, expansin, beta-galactosidase and cellulose synthase were observed in OsVTC1-1 RNAi lines. Our results suggest that OsVTC1-1 gene plays an important role in AsA synthesis and in cell wall-related processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)
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14 pages, 1826 KiB  
Article
Tomato Graft Union Failure Is Associated with Alterations in Tissue Development and the Onset of Cell Wall Defense Responses
by Carlos Frey, Rafael Álvarez, Antonio Encina and José Luis Acebes
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1197; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061197 - 11 Jun 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2861
Abstract
Grafting is a technique applied to a considerable number of crops, with tomato standing out. However, this technique is limited by the obtaining of unfunctional grafts, which decrease the success rate and therefore the benefits achieved. The aim of this work was to [...] Read more.
Grafting is a technique applied to a considerable number of crops, with tomato standing out. However, this technique is limited by the obtaining of unfunctional grafts, which decrease the success rate and therefore the benefits achieved. The aim of this work was to analyze the failure in intraspecific grafting of tomato plants, focusing on tissue development, cell wall defense reactions, and the distribution of starch and soluble sugars at the graft junction. The success rate in autografts was higher than that of homografts and heterografts. Unfunctional homografts and heterografts showed similar responses: absence of vascular reconnections and lack of adhesion between scion and rootstock, even though callus cell clusters and differentiation of new vasculature were produced. The scions of unfunctional grafts accumulated more starch and soluble sugars than the rootstocks, showing a strong asymmetry in the response. In addition, three types of deposits were observed in the cell walls of unfunctional grafts: lignin, suberin, and callose, with the combined accumulation of more than one of them being frequent, particularly lignin and suberin. These deposits apparently prevent adhesion and seem to be a major cause of graft failure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)
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11 pages, 303 KiB  
Article
Relationships between Stalk Resistance and Corn Borers, Agronomic Traits, and Cell Wall Hydroxycinnamates in a Set of Recombinant Inbred Lines from a Maize MAGIC Population
by Ana López-Malvar, Zoila Reséndiz, Rogelio Santiago, José Cruz Jiménez-Galindo and Rosa Ana Malvar
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1132; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061132 - 02 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2092
Abstract
Corn borers are the most important pest affecting maize. Resistance to corn borer attack may compromise plant fitness being detrimental for some important agronomic traits such as yield. Against the attack of this pest, cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamates have been previously described as a [...] Read more.
Corn borers are the most important pest affecting maize. Resistance to corn borer attack may compromise plant fitness being detrimental for some important agronomic traits such as yield. Against the attack of this pest, cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamates have been previously described as a possible defense mechanism. In this study, agronomic characterization and cell wall-bound hydroxycinnamates quantification was performed in a subset of Recombinant Inbred Lines (RILs) from a Multiparent Advanced Generation Intercross (MAGIC) population that showed contrasting behavior against corn borer attack. Resistant lines showed greater concentration of p-coumaric acid, the only hydroxycinnamate that could have a role in the resistance in these particular materials. In addition, results indicated that resistant lines showed precocity, low grain moisture at harvest, and reduced plant height, thus, selecting for resistance may be detrimental for yield. In this way, a breeding strategy directly targeting grain yield in order to tolerate corn borer attack would be the recommended one. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)
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10 pages, 17216 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Cell Wall Modification in Two Strawberry Cultivars with Contrasted Softness
by Ricardo I. Castro, Marcelo Muñoz-Vera and Luis Morales-Quintana
Agronomy 2021, 11(6), 1100; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11061100 - 28 May 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1909
Abstract
During the ripening process of fruit, the solubilization and depolymerization of cell wall components takes place, which results in the loss of firmness or the softening of fruit. Recently, we reported that two different strawberry cultivars (“Cristal” and “Portola”) exhibit differences in their [...] Read more.
During the ripening process of fruit, the solubilization and depolymerization of cell wall components takes place, which results in the loss of firmness or the softening of fruit. Recently, we reported that two different strawberry cultivars (“Cristal” and “Portola”) exhibit differences in their fruit softening values, with “Cristal” being the firmest and “Portola” being the softest. In the present work, we performed a comparative study of the changes in the physicochemical properties of the cell wall-associated polysaccharide contents of these two strawberry fruit cultivars via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), combined with the first derivative of the thermogram (DTG) curves and morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The “Cristal” sample showed higher thermal stability than the “Portola” sample. Additionally, differences were observed between the “Cristal” and “Portola” samples at different stages, principally in Region II (temperatures between 200 °C and 350 °C), with a higher thermal stability evident in the green stage of the two cultivars. Notably, a higher thermal stability was observed in the green stage of the “Portola” sample. The highest percentage of cumulative depolymerization (PCD) was observed in the ripe stage of the “Portola” sample. The DTG curve showed four maximum peaks of degradation, which occurred between 170 °C and 350 °C. Finally, the existence of a relationship between fruit firmness and thermal stability was demonstrated for the two cultivars. This relationship was based on the morphological studies conducted using SEM, which provided new evidence through which to understand the changes within the cell wall polymers of these two strawberry cultivars during the ripening process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)
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Review

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27 pages, 1995 KiB  
Review
The Impact of Cell Wall Feruloylation on Plant Growth, Responses to Environmental Stress, Plant Pathogens and Cell Wall Degradability
by Marcia Maria de O. Buanafina and Phillip Morris
Agronomy 2022, 12(8), 1847; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12081847 - 04 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1958
Abstract
This article summarizes evolving concepts and scientific findings on cell wall feruloylation and ferulate oxidative coupling processes in grasses, and the effects these have on the wide range of cell wall properties and consequent plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress and tissue [...] Read more.
This article summarizes evolving concepts and scientific findings on cell wall feruloylation and ferulate oxidative coupling processes in grasses, and the effects these have on the wide range of cell wall properties and consequent plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress and tissue degradability. Updates of the different strategies that have been applied to genetically modifying cell wall feruloylation are presented. Special emphasis is given to the modification of cell wall feruloylation by heterologous expression of cell wall ferulic acid esterase, as this strategy has provided insights into the impact of feruloylation on the changes in the physicochemical properties of the cell wall with consequent effects on different plant processes. Emerging feruloyl transferase candidate genes codifying enzymes accounting for ferulate incorporation into grass arabinoxylans are also highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cell Wall Research of Crop Plants)
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