Plant cell wall proteomics: the leadership of Arabidopsis thaliana

• Main Authors: Cécile eALBENNE, Hervé eCANUT, Elisabeth eJAMET
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2013-05-01
• Series: Frontiers in Plant Science
• Subjects: Cell Wall; Plants; Proteomics; Arabidopsis thaliana; Glycoproteomics
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpls.2013.00111/full

Plant cell wall proteins (CWPs) progressively emerged as crucial components of cell walls although present in minor amounts. Cell wall polysaccharides such as pectins, hemicelluloses and cellulose represent more than 90% of primary cell wall mass, whereas hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignins are the main components of lignified secondary walls. All these polymers provide mechanical properties to cell walls, participate in cell shape and prevent water loss in aerial organs. However, cells walls need to be modified and customized during plant development and in response to environmental cues, thus contributing to plant adaptation. CWPs play essential roles in all these physiological processes and particularly in the dynamics of cell walls, which requires organization and rearrangements of polysaccharides as well as cell-to-cell communication. In the last ten years, plant cell wall proteomics has greatly contributed to a wider knowledge of CWPs. This update will deal with (i) a survey of plant cell wall proteomics studies with a focus on Arabidopsis thaliana; (ii) the main protein families identified and the still missing peptides; (iii) the persistent issue of the non-canonical CWPs; (iv) the present challenges to overcome technological bottlenecks; and (v) the perspectives beyond cell wall proteomics to understand CWP functions.