Characterization and transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana under cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor treatment

Abstract

Cellulose is one of the most important components of plant cell walls for industry and plant development. Screening mutants resistant to chemicals that conditionally inhibit cellulose synthesis, known as cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors (CBIs), allows us to dissect the cellulose biosynthetic process. Using flupoxam resistant (fxr) and isoxaben resistant (ixr) mutants, we characterized their response to our novel CBIs. Root length clustering showed similar responses and cross-resistance patterns based on mutation location. A 3-D homology protein model of the cellulose synthases (CESAs) was generated to display our alleles. This model contradicted previous models and predicted a protein with seven-membrane spanning helices. Transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to CBI treatment revealed differential expression of genes related to membrane dynamics, stress responses, cellular transporters, and general metabolism. Processes containing CESA co-expressed genes shared high overlap with CBI regulated processes. Through this study, we uncovered linkages between CESAs and cellular processes, discovering new avenues of research into cellulose biosynthesis.