EVOCATE Function and evolution of plant cell wall architecture for sustainable technologies

当陆地植物从绿藻进化而来时，它们的细胞壁发生了变化。这些墙允许植物细胞扩展成多种形状，以促进多细胞的生长和发育，但这些墙也可以提供支持高大树木的力量。为了实现新的和多样化的功能，陆地植物获得了额外的细胞壁多糖成分。这些聚合物相互作用，形成不同的分子排列或“细胞壁结构”，提供显著不同的材料特性。可持续技术植物细胞壁结构的功能和进化(Evocate)旨在挑战长期以来对植物细胞壁结构的看法。通过研究一系列陆地植物的进化，我们将研究纤维素和其他壁多糖已经进化出不同的和互补的结构，调节这些多糖在植物细胞壁中的相互作用的假说。Evocate将开发和应用先进的固态核磁共振技术，使我们能够测量完整细胞壁中的多糖结构、构象和聚合物相互作用。我们最近的研究表明，以前未被认识到的葡甘聚糖多糖的重要细胞壁功能。我们有证据表明，这种多糖对所有陆地植物的生命都是必不可少的。我们认为，葡甘聚糖与不同类型的纤维素纤维相互作用。我们将开发和应用遗传方法来操纵葡甘聚糖的结构，以确定功能细胞壁结构组装中的多糖结构-功能关系。因此，Evocate将开发新的植物细胞壁组装原理和模型。我们将展示多种不同的细胞壁结构如何有助于使陆地植物生长的坚固而灵活的特性。因此，Evocate的技术和发现将为可持续技术开发生物质的新应用奠定基础。这是ERC高级赠款奖。

When land plants evolved from green algae, their cell walls changed. The walls allow plant cells to expand into many shapes for multicellular growth and development, yet these walls also can provide the strength to support tall trees. To achieve the new and varied functions, land plants acquired additional cell wall polysaccharide components. These polymers interact to build distinct molecular arrangements or 'cell wall architectures', providing remarkably different material properties.Function and evolution of plant cell wall architecture for sustainable technologies (EVOCATE) aims to challenge long-held ideas of plant cell wall structure. By studying a range of land plants across evolution, we will investigate the hypothesis that cellulose and other wall polysaccharides have evolved varied and complementary structures that regulate the interactions of these polysaccharides in plant cell walls. EVOCATE will develop and apply advanced solid-state NMR techniques that allow us to measure polysaccharide structures, conformations and polymer interactions in intact cell walls. Our recent studies indicate previously unrecognised important cell wall functions for the polysaccharide known as glucomannan. We have evidence that this polysaccharide is essential for life of all land plants. We propose that the glucomannans interact with distinct types of cellulose fibrils. We will develop and apply genetic methods to manipulate the glucomannan structures to determine the polysaccharide structure-function relationships in assembly of functional cell wall architectures. EVOCATE will thereby develop new principles and models of plant cell wall assembly. We will demonstrate how multiple and varied architectures of cell walls contribute to the robust yet flexible properties that allow land plants to grow. The techniques and discoveries of EVOCATE will therefore underpin development of new applications of biomass for sustainable technologies.This is an ERC advanced Grant Award.