Plants are said to have evolved on the earth around 500 million years ago, and information on the shape of cellulose synthase, a plant protein that plays an important role in the synthesis of cellulose, has remained elusive. But not anymore!
Here's why...
Researchers from North Carolina State University have provided the first three-dimensional model of the plant protein shape that links a simple sugar, glucose, into long-chain cellulose. Note that cellulose is one of the four basic building blocks of a plant's cell wall.
An understanding of the plant protein shape may allow researchers to genetically engineer plants and trees - for better cotton fibers or stronger wood. The findings can also be used to create beneficial nanocrystals with desired properties and functions, say the researchers.
Commenting on the groundbreaking work, Candace Haigler, an NC State crop scientist and plant biologist who co-authored the study, said, "Without the enzyme structure, you can't make strategically designed, rational projections about how to make beneficial changes to the proteins - but now you can. In the future we could make cellulose easier to break down into biofuels while ensuring that the plants themselves are able to grow well."
The findings are published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
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