Project properties
Title Relation between cellulose orientation and cell shape
Group Plant Cell Biology, Laboratory of
Project type thesis
Credits 18-39
Supervisor(s) Prof. dr. Anne Mie Emons, Dr. ir. Tijs Ketelaar, ir. Jelmer Lindeboom
Examiner(s) Prof. dr. Anne Mie Emons
Contact info annemie.emons@wur.nl, 0317-484329
Begin date 2008/04/01
End date 2010/04/01
Description Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. It is organized as microfibrils.
Humans use cellulose as cotton, paper, fibre, food and fodder, but it is becoming important now as biofuel and in nanotechnological applications. Therefore, we need to know more about its production and organization in cell walls. That is why a so-called international NEST Adventure program is being funded by the EU, which we coordinate from Wageningen University, laboratory of Plant Cell Biology.
Cellulose is produced by cellulose synthase complexes moving inside the plasma membrane. We have Arabidopsis plants containing fusion constructs between a green (or other color) fluorescent protein and the cellulose synthase to follow the production of the cellulose microfibrils. These synthases make tracks in the plasma membrane and leave celulose microfibrils in their wake. In growing cells these microfibrils are oriented by microtubules, but without microtubules perfectly ordered microfibrils are made. From a mathematical model we predict that the orientation of the microfibrils in that case depends on the cell shape.
The MSc student has to prove or disprove this hypothesis, which could have big impact on current theories.
Used skills Arabidopsis plant culture, transgenics with XFP-fusion proteins, live cell imaging using advanced light microscopies, image analysis
Requirements PCB-30306