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Role of the Plasma Membrane in Cellulose Synthesis

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Book cover The Plant Plasma Membrane

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Abstract

In one sense it may seem presumptuous to write an article about the role of the plasma membrane in cellulose synthesis when the synthetic reaction itself has never been directly demonstrated using plasma membranes isolated from higher plants or algae. This lack of success in finding a cellulose synthase activity in vitro has been well-documented in several recent reviews on cell wall biosynthesis (Delmer 1987; Bolwell 1988; Delmer and Stone 1988), but for the purposes of this discussion, I shall summarize again briefly our state of knowledge about the enzymology of cellulose biosynthesis. In spite of the paucity of information about the enzyme itself, there is good evidence that synthetic complexes reside and function within the plasma membrane, and that they are most likely subject to unique forms of regulation. Thus, the remainder of this review, in keeping with the focus of this book, will concentrate on the role of the plasma membrane in the process.

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Abbreviations

DCB:

2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile

TC’s:

terminal complexes

TG’s:

terminal globules

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel

    D. P. Delmer

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  1. D. P. Delmer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Lund, Box 7007, S-220 07, Lund, Sweden

    Christer Larsson

  2. Department of Plant Physiology, University of Lund, Box 7007, S-220 07, Lund, Sweden

    Ian M. Møller

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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Delmer, D.P. (1989). Role of the Plasma Membrane in Cellulose Synthesis. In: Larsson, C., Møller, I.M. (eds) The Plant Plasma Membrane. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74522-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74522-5_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-74524-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74522-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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