Pectin Drives Cell Wall Morphogenesis without Turgor Pressure

Abstract

How the plant cell wall expands and forms shapes is a long-standing mystery. Traditional thought is that turgor pressure drives these processes. However, a recent study by Haas and colleagues shows for the first time that the expansion of pectin homogalacturonan nanofilaments drives morphogenesis without turgor pressure in plant epidermal cells.

Keywords: cell wall; morphogenesis; nanofilament; nanoimaging; pectin; turgor pressure.