Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This outstanding collection consists of 25 chapters (totalling >500 pages), each an informative, self-contained review by a group of one or more experts on selected aspects of plant cell wall biology. Chapters are ~10–20 pages in length, offering digestible insights that can be absorbed in a single sitting. The pages are generously peppered with citations to the primary literature, serving as a gateway to thousands of key references in the field. The level is appropriate for graduate students and other researchers with some background in the cell wall field who want concise summaries of specific aspects of plant cell wall structure, biochemistry and biology. Each chapter has a different ‘personality’, based on the distinctive approaches and backgrounds of the chapter authors. A glossary of >700 abbreviations at the front of the book is of great help, as is the extensive index at the end. Those familiar with plant cell wall biology will recognize many of the contributors from their major research contributions to the field, some going back to the 1960s. While this book covers a lot of ground, it is not designed to be a comprehensive and integrated textbook on cell walls, nor is it focused on applications or industrial aspects of plant cell walls. Its focus is largely on primary cell walls, although secondary cell walls and lignification are discussed in several chapters, including one on woody biomass deconstruction. Diverse Perspectives: The contributing authors – numbering 71 – bring varied backgrounds and distinct approaches. Some have made research contributions dating back to the 1960s. Their collective expertise enriches the content, providing multifaceted viewpoints. Glossary and Index: The book includes a glossary of over 700 abbreviations, aiding readers in navigating the cloud of technical terms. Additionally, an extensive index at the end facilitates quick reference. Historical Context: Most reviews include historical context, allowing readers to appreciate the evolution of cell wall concepts over time. An entire chapter traces the development of cell wall structural understanding from the 1800s onward. Introductory Overview: An initial chapter provides a sweeping panorama of cell wall biology. It introduces research methods employed today and places plant cell walls within broader contexts, including materials science and human health. By providing common background for the 24 other chapters, it minimizes redundancy in the other chapters, which are largely self-contained units with minimal cross-referencing and integration. Themes Covered: Biochemical structure, synthesis and modification of cell wall polymers, including pectin structure and biosynthesis, biochemical remodelling of wall polysaccharides, and the structure and function of many glycosyltransferases that synthesize wall polysaccharides. Additional chapters review the diversity of wall compositions in plants and algae, the significance of side-chains for polysaccharide functions, NMR analysis of cellulose, immunochemical analysis of cell walls, membrane transport of nucleotide sugars during wall formation and an overview of hydrophobic polymers of cell walls. A notable gap is the paucity of information on the synthesis of cellulose and other beta-glucans, despite quantum advances in recent years in the structures, in vitro activity, regulation and cellular trafficking of the enzymes and complexes that make these essential wall polysaccharides. Cell wall involvement in developmental processes, including matrix dynamics during wood formation, fruit ripening, root secretions to the soil and microbiome interactions, one chapter on reversible changes in cell shape and two chapters with different perspectives on cell wall enlargement. Chapters on the cell wall involvement in plant immunity may be considered within this heading as well. Expansins are mentioned briefly in some of the chapters, but there is no overview of their actions or biological roles. Cell biology, signalling and other topics: Cell wall signalling in diverse contexts is reviewed in a wide-ranging chapter, while a related chapter discusses the maintenance of wall integrity. Two chapters consider very different aspects of the middle lamella between two cells while a third chapter focuses on cell plate formation during cell division (this eventually becomes the middle lamella). Other chapters review the role of the wall in desiccation tolerance by resurrection plants and the role of arabinogalactan proteins in abiotic stresses and reproduction. The book is a ‘must have’ for institutional libraries in the plant sciences and for researchers and graduate students whose work integrates with cell wall biology; this includes plant development, biochemistry, cell biology, defence, evolution and adaptation to the environment. It is available in printed and electronic formats.
Source: Annals of Botany
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcae162
Author: Daniel J Cosgrove
Institution: Pennsylvania State University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4402543861