2024/03/07 by Liam Elliott, Monika Kalde, Ann-Kathrin Schürholz +4 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls #Plant Molecular Biology Research #Plant Reproductive Biology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41477-024-01629-8
openalex publication_date 2024/03/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Morphogenesis of multicellular organs requires coordination of cellular growth. In plants, cell growth is determined by turgor pressure and the mechanical properties of the cell wall, which also glues cells together. Because plants have to integrate tissue-scale mechanical stresses arising through growth in a fixed tissue topology, they need to monitor cell wall mechanical status and adapt growth accordingly. Molecular factors have been identified, but whether cell geometry contributes to wall sensing is unknown. Here we propose that plant cell edges act as cell-wall-sensing domains during growth. We describe two Receptor-Like Proteins, RLP4 and RLP4-L1, which occupy a unique polarity domain at cell edges established through a targeted secretory transport pathway. We show that RLP4s associate with the cell wall at edges via their extracellular domain, respond to changes in cell wall mechanics and contribute to directional growth control in Arabidopsis.